Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Mario Balotelli shirt swap latest: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers reveals he has spoken to striker about incident

Balotelli swapped shirts with Pepe at half-time before substitution

James Orr
Thursday 23 October 2014 13:06 EDT
Comments
Mario Balotelli (left) trudges off at half-time last night, to be substituted during the interval
Mario Balotelli (left) trudges off at half-time last night, to be substituted during the interval (GETTY IMAGES)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers revealed today that he has held a conversation with Mario Balotelli after he swapped shirts with Real Madrid defender Pepe before he was taken off at half-time in the 3-0 Champions League defeat last night.

The incident as the players walked the down the tunnel has drawn criticism from Reds' supporters and former players, with Graeme Souness even questioning whether the Italian striker had a "football brain".

"Any action I would take with Mario would be kept within ourselves," Rodgers said today. "Of course, we had a conversation on the culture of this club.

"There's been no reaction to Mario Balotelli's shirt swap from the rest of the squad and speculation is inevitable.

"You have to accept that criticism is part of the game, but the boy [Balotelli] is trying very, very hard. We’ll see how that turns out."

Watch: Balotelli swaps shirts with Pepe at half-time

The Reds are next in action against Hull City in the Premier League on Saturday.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in