Mario Balotelli Addresses Racism in International Play, Threatens to Kill

Italy's Mario Balotelli isn't going to put up with any racism during the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament. The Manchester City star threatened to take matters into his own hands if anybody threw a banana at him, which previously happened before the U-21 Championships in 2009.

Marcus Christenson of The Guardian passed along thoughts from the striker, who didn't mince words about what he would do if a similar incident occurred at this summer's marquee event:

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I will not accept racism at all. It's unacceptable. If someone throws a banana at me in the street, I will go to jail, because I will kill them. ...

Let's see what happens at the Euros. I hope it will pass without a problem.

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While there's no problem with taking a strong stance against racism, threatening to kill people crosses the line. It will only add more tension to an already sticky situation that has the potential to overshadow the tournament if things get out of hand.

Unfortunately, Balotelli's comments will likely be taken as a challenge by the people who would consider doing such a despicable act in the first place. Instead of convincing individuals not to throw bananas or hurl racial slurs, he simply added more fuel to the fire.

Now every time he walks down the street or onto the pitch, there will be an added concern that an attention-starved individual will do something stupid. After all, provoking a rich athlete into a fight would be mission accomplished for them.

Balotelli would have been better off avoiding the topic altogether if those were his only thoughts. Let the authorities do their job and hope nothing gets out of hand. Speaking out to such an extreme extent doesn't make things any easier on them when it comes to keeping the peace.

Hopefully, the entire ordeal turns out to be much ado about nothing. The people of Poland and Ukraine were given a terrific opportunity to host one of the world's premier sporting events, and they shouldn't want it to get tarnished by racist acts.

With more than a week until play begins, Balotelli should have plenty of time to rethink his approach if something did occur. He has far too much to lose by going after one or two people trying to cause a hassle.

Getting into trouble isn't going to stop racism, so the Italian sensation must keep a level head.