Mario Balotelli suffered disgusting racist abuse during a Serie A fixture on Sunday. The Brescia striker kicked the ball into the crowd and tried to leave the pitch after being taunted by Hellas Verona fans.Referee Maurizio Mariani temporarily suspended the game and initiated the anti-racism protocol, which includes announcing a message to supporters in the stadium. Shortly after, Balotelli was convinced by his teammates to return to the pitch and finish the match. Just coming back after being racially abused shows how strong Balotelli's character is and what he did in the 85th minute further proved that. With the game drawing to a close, the Italian curled a stunning effort into the top corner to score from outside the box. Check it out below: 

What a beauty - that's the perfect way to silence the racists. 

Sadly, Balotelli's screamer wasn't enough for Brescia, who fell to a 2-1 defeat - and it's sadly not the first time we've heard of racism in Serie A this season.

In September, Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku was abused by Cagliari supporters, while Moise Kean - who is now at Everton - faced similar from the same fanbase. 

The abuse Lukaku suffered a few months ago was met with widespread criticism from the rest of the football world but evidently, not enough action has been taken in Italy. 

There was also further controversy last week when UEFA handed out a soft punishment to Bulgaria after England players were abused during a Euro 2020 qualifier. 

The nation's FA have been fined just €75,000 (£64,641) and will be made to play two games behind closed doors after supporters aimed racist abuse at Three Lions' stars. 

Clearly, these punishments are not enough, and something else needs to be done to sort the problem out once and for all.