WFootball: Balotelli Car Crash --
 

Mario Balotelli crashes his Bentley in Manchester city centre

• Female passenger taken to hospital as a precaution
• Roberto Mancini had earlier defended Balotelli


Guardian UK, Thursday 5 April 2012 16.29 EDT

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  http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...iker-M-008.jpg
  Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli crashed his car, but was unhurt in the collision with a Vauxhall Corsa. Photograph: Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images
  
  
  Mario Balotelli crashed his white Bentley in the Deansgate Locks area of Manchester on Thursday afternoon, with the Manchester City striker unhurt though a female passenger travelling with him was taken to hospital as a "precaution".
  
  The 21-year-old's car collided with a Vauxhall Corsa, with the club confirming it was not Balotelli's fault and that the driver of the other car was also unhurt.
  Balotelli was reportedly "shook up" but able to make light of the prang with witnesses. A police spokesperson said: "Shortly after 3.15pm on Thursday 5 April 2012, police were called to Medlock Street, Manchester City Centre to reports of a collision between two cars. The passenger of one of the cars was taken to hospital for precautionary measures [and] inquiries are ongoing."
  Balotelli has been involved in a series of scrapes since his £24m move to City in the summer of 2010. These have included a friend letting off fireworks in the striker's bathroom this season and the player missing a club curfew to visit a strip club in Liverpool last month.
  
  The City manager Roberto Mancini had earlier defended Balotelli in his morning press conference ahead of Sunday's vital Premier League fixture at Arsenal saying: "There are some people who think bad things about other people, like Mario. Every time Mario does something it's like a war. But there are other players on the pitch also that do worse than Mario but no one says anything because they are not like Mario."