Italy team manager: It's best to talk about Balotelli 'as little as possible'

Italy team manager Gabriele Oriali suggested that OGC Nice forward Mario Balotelli no longer has a future with the Azzurri, telling reporters he believes it's best to forget about the controversial figure once and for all.

Oriali and team head coach Giampiero Ventura recently called up 22 fringe players for a training camp in Coverciano - the central training ground and technical headquarters of the Italian Football Federation - but Balotelli was once again omitted from selection.

"I've spoken to Balotelli and if he gets called up depends on his performances," Oriali said, according to ESPN FC. "I believe, however, that it's best if we talk about him as little as possible, for everybody's sake.

"There's no appointment in the agenda with him at the moment."

Balotelli picked up yet another red card last weekend, but it came after Ventura announced his latest round of selection, indicating that the ejection didn't play a role in the team's decision.