Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has received a 28-day driving ban after being caught speeding in his Ferrari. The Italian was doing 109mph and his actions have resulted in a fine of around £800.
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He was convicted in his absence last week and also failed to appear at Wirral Magistrates court on Friday. According to the Daily Mirror, his solicitor Mike Hogan told magistrates that his client had not received the summons.
The striker, who has scored four times for the Reds this season, was pulled over by police shortly after midnight in December last year. He was travelling on the M62 close to Tarbock Island.
Balotelli’s representatives bizarrely attempted to argue that the speedometer of their client’s super-car was calibrated in kilometres per hour – so he had not been aware of what speed he was actually doing.
Weirdly, Balotelli was not the only Liverpool player to be fined for driving offences this week. Another Mirror article reports that Kolo Toure has been fined £660 and given eight points on his license for twice breaking restrictions.
The 34-year-old was clocked doing 57mph in a 40mph zone, and then days later, 72mph in a 50mph zone. He was reportedly travelling to Manchester at the time to see his brother Ibrahim, who died in June following a battle with cancer.
His representatives have spoken out in his defence, claiming that Kolo should be spared a driving ban due to the concerns taking public transport would cause to his safety.
His lawyer, Lisa Wilson, said: “Using public transport like buses or trains often leads to a surge of people which is a safety issue to him and the public. If that happened on the train track, someone could be pushed under a train by accident, or under cars on the roads.”