Mario Balotelli (Reuters)

Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's younger brother Paolo has called AC Milan's newly acquired striker Mario Balotelli "our household's little nigger" at an electoral campaign meeting.

Paolo, who is the publisher of the right-wing newspaper Il Giornale and head of investment group Paolo Berlusconi Finanziaria, made the remark during the installation of Fabrizio Sala as candidate for Silvio's People of Freedom party in Lombardy.

At the end of his speech, he invited his audience to go and watch Mario Balotelli, the 22-year-old striker signed last week by Silvio's AC Milan, play his first match against Udinese.

"Let's go and watch our household's little nigger [playing]," he said to laughter.

"The girls here are all invited as well. They can have the chance to meet with Silvio Berlusconi."

The elder Berlusconi has cut the lead held by front-runner Pier Luigi Bersani to 5 percentage points after the Banca Monte Paschi scandal and signing of Balotelli.

Balotelli, who scored 20 goals for Manchester City and is considered a star in Italy for his performance in the finals of the European Championship, was signed for £20m.

Robert Weber, chairman of pollsters SWG, estimated that the signing probably added about 0.3 percentage points to Berlusconi's support. Balotelli scored two goals in his first game to lead Milan to victory over Udinese.

Paolo Berlusconi has been found guilty of fraud and corruption for his involvement as head of Simec in a landfill scandal in Cerro Maggiore near Milan.

Silvio Berlusconi's bounce in the polls has not been hurt by his remarks on International Holocaust Day when he defended Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

READ:

 Mario Balotelli, Silvio Berlusconi and the Politics of Football

Silvio Berlusconi and Mussolini: Electoral Strategy or Personal Belief?

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