Bans and Fines come calling again on Balotelli

Since his January move to AC Milan, eccentric Italian forward Mario Balotelli has managed to stay out of trouble, especially the kind that dogged his stint at Manchester City. However, knowing his fiery temperament and penchant for the unusual, one always had the feeling that it was only a matter of time before we witnessed another transgression.

The past week has seen Balotelli slapped with a monetary fine and receive a 3-match ban. All in all, the trip to Florence over the weekend was a forgettable one for 'Super Mario'.

First, on the train journey to Florence, he was caught smoking in the toilets. Balotelli was ticked off by the train guard for the violation and went on to report it to the team staff of the travelling side. AC Milan Chief Executive Adriano Galliani in a statement to Gazetta Dello Sport said: "I want to say that we're going to fine him", though he did not go into the specifics of what the fine amount would be. Smoking is banned in Italian trains and is a punishable offence.

Following that minor indiscretion, his side were held to a 2-2 draw by 10-man Fiorentina adding to his frustration.The 'Rossoneri' were up 2-0 before the home side staged an excellent fightback and leveled it up with the help of 2 penalties. Milan and Fiorentina occupied the 3rd and 4th spots in Serie A, 6 points apart, and the draw meant it was status quo at the end of 90 minutes. For Milan, it was a chance lost to close the gap on 2nd placed Napoli to 1 point.

The final straw came on Tuesday when the Serie A's disciplinary commissioner announced that Balotelli would be on the receiving end of a 3-match ban for insulting the fourth official towards the end of Milan's match against Fiorentina. Mario was anyway due an automatic 1-match suspension  for exceeding the yellow card limit when he picked up one over the weekend for refusing to back up for a Fiorentina free-kick. A further 2 matches were added after the committee carried out its investigation and found Balotelli guilty of having insulted the fourth official.

For the first 3 months of his tenure with AC Milan, it was his goals (7 in 8 appearances) that made all the headlines. April has seen a revert to type with disciplinary issues coming to the fore. Whatever the news, one  thing's for sure, you can't keep this guy out of the headlines for too long. And you wouldn't be surprised if there were to be more outrageous moments with 'Super Mario', either on the pitch or off it.