Øjenvidne skyder Balotelli-rygte til jorden

Historien er efterfølgende blevet afkræftet af flere, der har overværet kampen. Én af dem er Mark Hughes, der skriver følgende på Twitter:

Balotelli incident wasn't even that bad. Both players went for the ball then he got subbed, media make a big deal out of everything

— Mark Hughes (@MarkHughes_) 5. september 2014

Clipped his ankle when both players went for the ball, nothing bad like what's being reported. Any other player and it wouldn't be reported

— Mark Hughes (@MarkHughes_) 5. september 2014