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French league responds after Mario Balotelli alleges racial abuse

PARIS (AP) — The French league will open an investigation after Nice striker Mario Balotelli spoke out against Bastia fans he said made monkey noises during a match on Friday night.

In a brief statement Saturday afternoon, the French League said it "deplored all of the incidents" that happened on Friday. Before the match, Nice's team bus had been pelted by stones as it arrived at the stadium.

The LFP's disciplinary committee will start looking into the matters when it convenes on Thursday and once it has received further information from officials and both clubs.

Balotelli wrote a message on his Instagram and Twitter pages earlier on Saturday, describing the abuse he heard during the 1-1 draw at the 20,000-capacity Armand Cesari stadium in Corsica and complaining that the French league had not acted swiftly enough.