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Inter striker Mario Balotelli used to "clown around" in school so he could be accepted by his class mates, says his sister Cristina. With Balotelli having a chance to feature in tonight's Derby d'Italia showdown against Juventus, fears of racism in the stands have seen storm clouds gather overhead, but Cristina claims it's a problem the striker is well accustomed to. "Mario has always needed love and affection when he was young," Cristina Balotelli told L'Equipe. "He was the only black person in his school and so he used to fool around so he could be accepted." While the authorities try to play down Italy's problem with racism, Balotelli's former coach at Lumezzane, Giovanni Valenti, claims it is ever present during football matches. "He was always a target for the racists even when he was 15. Italy has a problem with the integration of people. Everything would have been easier if Balotelli was white," concluded Valenti.