Mario Balotelli rises to Juventus defense: 'Clear penalty, I Like Vlahovic'

Former Man City and Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has come out to defend Juventus following the recent refereeing incidents against Genoa.

The controversial star was a fierce opponent for the Bianconeri during his stints at Inter and Milan.

Yet, the Italian attacker still opted to side with the Old Lady in the raging debacle over a denied spot kick in the recent encounter at the Luigi Ferraris.

With the encounter tied 1-1, the ball struck the hand of Genoa defender Mattia Bani inside the penalty box.

Juventus vigorously demanded a spot kick, but their appeals were waved off by the match official Davide Massa as well as the VAR.

But in Balotelli’s book, Juventus were denied an evident penalty kick, while Genoa midfielder Ruslan Malnivoski should have been sent off for a rash tackle later in the match.

“The penalty in favor of Juventus is clear,” said the striker during his appearance on TV Play via ilBianconero.

“The same goes for the expulsion of Ruslan Malinovskyi. He should have been sent off. It’s absurd that the referee did not go to check the monitor. I wonder what technology is for.”

On another note, the current Adana Demirspor star offered his support for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic who is struggling for consistency in front of goal.

“I like Vlahovic, but he is experiencing a situation that often occurs for us strikers.

“Sooner or later, he will unlock himself, but it is normal to receive criticism.

“He certainly won’t be enjoying this period, but I’m sure that sooner or later, he’ll be scoring goals again.”