Mario Balotelli and stood motionless as he flexed his muscles, developing a famous celebration. Going into the final, Balotelli said Manchester City's title success meant failure in the Euro would not signal a personal failure this season. He also said he was unfazed by the pressure he supposedly had on his shoulders entering the final, with new high expectations of him from his home supporters after his amazing performance against Germany. During the tournament, Balotelli was subject to a case of racial abuse during the game against Croatia, which led UEFA to fine the Croatian Football Federation €80,000. Italy were defeated 4–0
Mario Balotelli against a fine of two weeks' wages over his poor disciplinary record, but eventually dropped his application a day before the hearing. On 1 December 2014, Balotelli was accused of racism and antisemitism for posting an image on Instagram of the video game character Mario. The image promoted anti-racism by telling others to be like the character, attributing him qualities stereotypically associated with different ethnicities, ending the idea that he "jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a jew". In response to criticisms, he wrote, "My Mom is jewish so all of u shut up please." In 2012,