Coach Milovan Rajevac: Italy Will Never Call Mario Balotelli, But I’ll Never Call Him For Ghana

Goal.com

Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac says it was amateurish for Inter striker Mario Balotelli to snub the Black Stars.

The Serbian has vowed never to consider the teenager in his squad again as long as he remains the boss of the west African side. He said he is spoilt for choices when it comes to quality players and even finds it difficult to make selections for the national team.

“We are partly to blame. In the past, we made him [Balotelli] look like our messiah and saviour. We kept going after him with high powered delegations,” Rajevac told Football365.co.za.

“All these made it seem as though there won’t be any Black Stars without him. But that is not true.

“Everybody knows how Ghana have players in excess and the difficulty I sometimes go through just to have my squad. To put it bluntly, this Black Stars team is spoilt for choice. The team has quality in excess and has no place for guys like Balotelli,” he said.

On Balotelli’s interview revealing his willingness to play for the Azzurri ahead of Ghana, Rajevac said: “I have listened to the conversation very well. It seems to me that he has already made up his mind. Fair enough, but that only solves half of his problem.

“He was talking as if, the next day, he is going to be allowed to wear the jersey of the Azzurri. It doesn’t happen that way. Balotelli has a long way to go. If he thinks by snubbing Ghana he would be winning the heart of Marcello Lippi, then I am sorry, it won’t happen.

“As long as I continue to be the coach of the Black Stars, Mario will never get to play for my team. We have treated him with very soft and tender gloves in the past. This time, it won’t happen. Mario should forget it,” Rajevac said.

“Nobody will go over and talk to him to change his decision. I have no place for him so he can go ahead and dream of playing for the Azzurri, which I know he won’t get.”

Balotelli was born to Ghanaian immigrant parents but was raised by an Italian couple. The talented striker has never hidden his desire to play for the Azzurri and in a recent interview said: “I have never felt Ghanaian.

“My parents come from Ghana but I don’t know anything about that country. I have never thought of playing for Ghana, neither do I have any inclination towards the team. It is Italy or no other country.”