FLORENCE: Italy coach Cesare Prandelli played down a racist incident aimed at striker Mario Balotelli at a pre-World Cup training camp but striker Ciro Immobile said players have to help stamp out the scourge.

AC Milan striker Balotelli was believed to be the target of a racist insult from a youth as players were put through their paces during the second day of a 10-day training camp at Coverciano in Florence.

When asked about the incident, Prandelli said: “I didn’t hear what was said. All I heard were pleasantries.”

Police stationed at the national team centre intervened and Balotelli appeared visibly disturbed.

The training session was open to media, and Balotelli could be heard saying as he ran by reporters, “Only in Rome and Florence are they that stupid.”

Balotelli was born in Sicily to Ghanaian immigrants and brought up by an Italian foster family. He has been a frequent target for racists throughout his career in Italy, with Juventus, Inter Milan and AS Roma fans repeatedly abusing him with racist chanting during matches.

Italian football federation (FIGC) president Giancarlo Abete called the incident “unacceptable”.

“This is unacceptable behaviour,” Abete told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “This should not happen. The important thing is that this is only a minority and they have no regard for civil coexistence.”

Observers at the training camp reported that it was one fan who shouted the abuse. A video containing the insults was then published on the Gazzetta website.

Immobile, one of seven strikers at the 30-strong training camp and hoping to make Prandelli’s final 23-man squad, said the incident was symptomatic of widespread racism and discrimination in the country at Wednesday’s news conference.

The Torino forward, who with 22 goals finished the season as Serie A’s top striker, is from Napoli, a city which sits in the shadow of the Mount Vesuvius volcano and whose fans are regularly taunted by rival fans.

Asked if he bearing witness to such an incident made him feel ashamed to be Italian, Immobile said: “No I’m not ashamed to be Italian when I hear things like this being said.

“But it saddens me. We’re in 2014 and to be hearing racist insults from people, whether you’re yellow, black or white is just unacceptable.

“Fortunately, Mario let it pass over him and he got on with his training. But we as players should do more to help stamp this out.”

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2014