Furious Mario Balotelli has called in lawyers to sue his former girlfriend after she accused him of being ‘irresponsible’ and ‘not interested’ in his newborn baby daughter.
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The Manchester City ace’s relationship with Raffaella Fico, 24, has become a real life soap opera with the two having furious slanging matches since they split up in the spring following a year-long relationship.
Earlier this month, former underwear model Raffaella gave birth to a baby girl called Pia, who was conceived just before the couple broke up.
Initially, the player had demanded a DNA test to prove he was the father but then backtracked and said he was going to give their romance another try.
But now Balotelli, 22, has lashed out at Raffaella following an interview with Chi magazine earlier this month in which she said: ‘Mario for me is irresponsible. It came to a certain point where he was just not interested in anything, not in me, or our daughter.
‘Up until certain things happened he was supposed to marry me. That was our project, our desire. Then all of a sudden everything collapsed and I don’t know why.’
In a statement published in Gazzetta Dello Sport, Balotelli said: ‘In relation to what was said by Raffaella Fico in her last interview with Chi, I have sadly decided to respond.
‘There is a limit for everything and I can no longer tolerate that my honour as a man is offended and I am falsely accused of serious misbehaviour, and which has no element of truth.
‘I have asked my lawyer to take the necessary legal action to defend my honour which has been damaged by the declarations of Raffaella Fico to Chi.
‘I caution Raffaella Fico that she will be asked to pay damages for any further irresponsible comments that she makes that harm my reputation and honour.’
Balotelli’s adoptive parents Franco and Silvo also joined in the attack on Raffaella, using an open letter to accuse her of cashing in on her relationship with him.
They wrote: “We believe that our son is not the irresponsible and undignified person that you have described.’ You seem to have had no hesitation of expressing publicly every sentiment you have felt in order to appear on front pages.’
‘You know full well the relationship was over at the beginning of April. Why do you keep saying otherwise? Why did you wait until June before telling Mario you were expecting a baby and even then it was only after telling the press first – was it so that you could secure another front page?’
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Raffaella is said to have secured a five-figure sum from Chi – the same magazine that published topless pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge – for the first images of baby Pia.
In her interview she said that the “door of her heart” was closed but that she would not stop Balotelli from seeing his daughter whenever he wanted – he has yet to see Pia and the magazine pictures were the first time he saw her.
Today there was no-one immediately available to comment for Raffaella, who has appeared on Italy’s version of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and her previous boyfriends have included Cristiano Ronaldo.