Mario Balotelli ends showdown with Manchester City and accepts £340,000 fine

Manchester City were angered over Italian's poor discipline

Mario Balotelli and Roberto Mancini (GETTY IMAGES)

Mario Balotelli's potentially divisive tribunal with his club Manchester City has been averted after the striker accepted a fine of two weeks wages for poor discipline.

His appeal at a Premier League tribunal, which was supposed to take place this morning, has been withdrawn.

Reports this morning claimed the Italian striker held negotiations with the Premier League champions overnight as the warring parties looked to reach an agreement.

A Manchester City statement read: "After amicable talks between the parties, as a sign of respect for Roberto Mancini, the supporters and the club, Mario Balotelli has chosen to accept a two week fine levied upon him by the club and withdraw his disciplinary appeal, which was due to be heard by a Premier League panel today."

"Mario remains available for selection for all forthcoming fixtures."

The fine, which amounts to £340,000, was in relation to Balotelli's poor discipline last season which saw the striker miss 11 games domestically and in Europe after receiving nine yellow cards and three reds.

The 22-year-old did not accept the decision and took his case to a Premier League tribunal which was due to start this morning.

Balotelli was expected to appear in person in front of the three-man Premier League panel alongside his lawyer and a representative from the PFA.

However, it appears Balotelli had a rethink about taking on his club, a case City were confident of winning.

A two week fine is the maximum penalty that can be applied for Balotelli's offence although incidents of clubs bringing such punishments are rare.

The Independent revealed yesterday that manager Roberto Mancini fully backed the fine against Balotelli, perhaps signalling the end of his persistent support of a player who has failed to live up to his billing since joining from Inter Milan.

Speaking after City's defeat to Manchester United, Balotelli's most recent match for the club and a game in which he was substituted, Mancini said: "At this moment, Mario is not in good form and for this reason he is at home. It is only for this reason. To get back into the team he needs to work in training and when he plays, he needs to play well."