By IAN LADYMAN
Mario Balotelli and Manchester City face each other at a Premier League tribunal this week after the league champions tried to fine their errant centre forward £340,000 for his persistent poor discipline on the field.
Having been left out of the squad for Saturday’s trip to Newcastle, it has subsequently emerged that Balotelli has been at war with his club behind the scenes since the end of last season.
It is understood that the 22-year-old was charged by his club with misconduct and hit with a fine of two weeks’ wages last May after City got fed up with the amount of football Balotelli was missing due to his habit of picking up red and yellow cards.
The disciplinary process was initiated by senior executives at the Etihad Stadium after Balotelli was sent off in the 1-0 defeat at Arsenal last April.
It had the blessing of chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and manager Roberto Mancini.
Balotelli missed 11 games at home and in Europe through suspension last term — one fifth of all his club’s matches — and has so far picked up three yellow cards in all competitions during this campaign.
Balotelli refused to pay his fine, feeling he was being unfairly victimised by City, and appealed to a two-man internal commission at the Etihad Stadium.
That hearing, held three weeks ago, failed to exonerate him and the Italy international has now taken the case to an independent Premier League tribunal.
He is expected to appear in person with his own lawyer while City will be represented by their own legal team.
The case is reminiscent of last season’s dispute with Carlos Tevez that started when the South American failed to enter the field as a substitute in a Champions League game at Bayern Munich.
Tevez at one stage looked set to take his case to the Premier League but eventually backed down.
In Balotelli’s case, that looks unlikely to happen and City now face the rather uncomfortable prospect of facing one of their own players in front of the Premier League in London on Wednesday.
What this means for the player’s future at City remains to be seen.
Mancini cited fitness reasons for Balotelli’s exclusion on Saturday at St James’ Park and he was told to do a full training session yesterday.
At the moment, Mancini is considering leaving him out of next week’s squad for the Reading game at the Etihad Stadium but will make a firm decision later in the week.
Mancini said after Saturday’s win in the north-east that he doesn’t want to sell Balotelli. However, it is understood that the situation is more complicated than that with some members of City’s coaching staff now convinced that the best course of action would be to move him on in January.
Indeed, it is understood City have been pressing the Premier League to deal with this case before January which suggests the club haven’t ruled out the prospect of trading him or at least loaning him out somewhere in the transfer window.
Mancini said after the Newcastle game: ‘At this moment Mario is not in good form and for this reason he is at home. It is only for this reason.
‘To get back into the team he needs to work in training and when he plays. He needs to play well.
‘I’m used to talking about Mario every day. I have to talk about him every day and I am not frustrated about that. But I am frustrated in that I would like Mario to play well because he has great quality.
‘He still has a big part to play this season — absolutely because he is a good player and a huge talent with good quality and a good technique.
‘But it is important that he puts all these things on the pitch.’
