Balotelli not a ‘good role model’

Mario Balotelli is not a good role model for children according to Manchester City’s football administrator Brian Marwood.

The controversial Italian has been involved in several bust-ups with manager Roberto Mancini – and also with some of his team-mates in training – and his behaviour in his personal life has often caught the wrong the type of headlines too.

Marwood believes the City players should be setting a good example to the younger players coming through the system and children around the country in general.

However, without directly naming Balotelli, Marwood has criticised the young striker for not setting a good example.

“I think that it’s important to make a good example,” he said. “I think – and we all know who we are talking about – that you will get people within the system who do not show the right values and the right behaviour.

“In the main, we have a fantastic group of players here.

“I look at [Pablo] Zabaleta, I look at [Vincent] Kompany, I look at Joe Hart, Gareth Barry and Joleon Lescott.

“I think we have a lot of players who can behave in the right way.

“You just have to make sure that they are the role models.”