Mario Balotelli is to fight a huge fine handed out by Manchester City at a Premier League tribunal on Wednesday.
The Blues hit the Italian international with a £340,000 fine in a bid to try to get the wayward Italian star to clean up his act.
It has emerged City began disciplinary proceedings against Balotelli last season for his disciplinary problems during the title-winning campaign, which caused him to miss eight of the Blues’ matches through suspension.
Last season, he picked up a one-match suspension for a red card against Liverpool in November, a four-match retrospective ban for standing on Scott Parker against Tottenham in January and a further three-match hit for his dismissal against Arsenal in April.
City have become increasingly frustrated with the player’s lifestyle and lack of discipline on the field and, after a secret internal disciplinary procedure, he was handed a fine of two weeks’ wages, the maximum possible under rules agreed with the Professional Footballers’ Association.
Balotelli appealed to the club board, who backed the sanction, and, after consulting with agent Mino Raiola, has decided to appeal to the Premier League.
The two-man tribunal will hear the case on Wednesday – and their decision will be binding on both sides.
If Balotelli fails in his bid to overturn the club fine, he will also have to foot the bill for the hearing which will run into five figures.
Both City and Raiola’s camp are reluctant to discuss the matter ahead of the tribunal but it appears Balotelli’s case seems to be that the club backed him over two of the three red cards.
Manager Roberto Mancini said after the Liverpool dismissal, which was for two bookable offences – the second a stray arm in the face of Martin Skrtel – that the Liverpool players had got his player sent off although he gave Balotelli a rocket for the first yellow.
And the club stood by him after he was hit with a retrospective four-match ban for appearing to stamp on Spurs’ Scott Parker although they decided that an appeal would be 'futile'.
The incident that triggered City’s decision to take internal action was the sending-off at Arsenal, when Mancini added to the FA’s three-match ban by dropping the player for two subsequent games, only re-introducing him as a sub on the final day against QPR.
Paris St-Germain and top Italian clubs are watching the situation carefully, feeling that City's action could bring about the end of their relationship with Balotelli.
But City will not sell unless the fee comes close to his £28m valuation and Balotelli is unlikely to find another club – apart from PSG – willing to pay his £170,000-a-week wages.
