Manchester City's Mario Balotelli needs "professional help" over disciplinary issues, according to a leading official from the world union for footballers.
The striker was sent off in the defeat by Arsenal last weekend, his fourth red card in two seasons.
Theo van Seggelen, general secretary of FIFPro, said: "I think professional help's the only solution."
City boss Roberto Mancini said of the 21-year-old: "If he wants to stay he should change his [mindset]."
Balotelli has apologised for his latest dismissal and stated his commitment to City.
Mancini, who intimated that the forward would "probably" be sold in the summer, added: "We are happy but it doesn't change the situation.
"I don't think he can stay here for 10 years together with me. This is impossible.
"But if tomorrow, or in two or three years, he changes managers or squads it is important he changes his behaviour.
"He has a lot of quality but he can lose it with his attitude."
Balotelli, who joined City from Inter Milan for £24m in August 2010, was banned for four matches earlier this season when the Football Association took retrospective action to punish a stamp on Tottenham's Scott Parker.
The Italy international has also been involved in controversial incidents off the field, including letting off a firework in his house and throwing a dart at a City youth-team player.
"I'm optimistic. I think he is a good guy but he has to change his behaviour for two reasons," said Van Seggelen, talking to BBC Sport's Richard Conway.
"First he is a role model, but also he is playing in a team and he is playing against another team and he has to respect his colleagues.
"I think that we have to realise and conclude that, after all these incidents, my personal opinion is that he needs, really, professional help.
"I don't want to blame Manchester City because it is his own responsibility, but Manchester City [have] their responsibility. Within the pitch he has to behave himself like all the other players.
"You cannot always apologise afterwards and say, 'yes, I'm sorry', but he must realise that he has a problem.
"When he realises that, I'm sure - I'm convinced - that professional people can help him and he can solve his problem."
Van Seggelen's comments come after Marcello Lippi, the World Cup-winning Italy manager, told Balotelli to "wake up".
Inter admit they want Man City star - but it's not Balotelli
Inter Milan sporting director Marco Branca has admitted his club wants to sign Manchester City's Aleksandar Kolarov - but not the Serbian's controversial team-mate Mario Balotelli.
Both players have been linked with summer moves away from the Etihad Stadium, with Roberto Mancini admitting he will 'probably' sell Balotelli this summer after the striker's recent on and off field controversies.
But Branca says Inter will not look to re-sign Balotelli, who came through the ranks at the San Siro before moving to City for a fee of around £23m in the summer of 2010.
Yet he has admitted the club are interested in signing defender Kolarov, who has made just nine Premier League starts this season after struggling to oust Gael Clichy from Mancini's first-team.
"Kolarov is a player that interests us, it's true," Branca told FC Inter News. "We can move on this issue at the end of the season. Balotelli? He is good but not in our plans."
Roberto Mancini still appears to be playing mind games
With tongue firmly in cheek, Mancini agreed with comments from Manchester United first-team coach Rene Meulensteen that his “unbalanced” team are full of egocentrics with no collective spirit.
Mancini also reiterated, with an enigmatic smile and a philosophical shrug of his shoulders, his midweek claim that the title race is over and claimed, rather bizarrely, that neither City nor United are under any pressure.
And he was only slightly more serious when he argued that City’s trip to Norwich today will be a harder game than the forthcoming Manchester derby, because his players will not need motivation and focus when they face United.
City fans will no doubt feel their team should not have any problem firing themselves up for the trip to Carrow Road, where a win will bring them within two points of United – at least for 24 hours.
I agree. That’s the reason we can’t win. They have experience, we don’t
Roberto Mancini
But Mancini, clearly fed up with all the criticism he and his players have faced recently, was intent on playing the media at their own game.
When asked about Meulensteen’s comments, he said: “I agree. That’s the reason we can’t win. They have experience, we don’t. They are a fantastic team and we have nothing. They are perfect and we are the opposite. They are not a team like us who have players who only think about themselves.”
Asked whether he had relayed these thoughts to his own players, Mancini said: “When I speak with my players I say other things. I can’t speak with you about the same things I speak with my players about.
“I enjoy being with my players, I am proud of them. We make mistakes. We are not on the moon – we are normal.
“United are fantastic, they won everything in 20 years but we are here. Any man can make a mistake every day and we are like this.”
As to the suggestion that his playful words were simply designed to take the heat off his players, he said: “We don’t have pressure now.”
So is it on United then? “No, they can’t have pressure. It’s impossible. They will just win the title. We are five points behind and it will be difficult. Our job is only to play well at Norwich.
“This will be the toughest match from now till the end because we have had only two days to recover and people will think it is an easy game.
“The derby is easy because the players will be motivated for it.”
Sir Alex Ferguson tried a similar approach in 1993 when United were chasing Kenny Dalglish’s Blackburn, whom he claimed would need a fall of “Devon Loch proportions” to lose the title.
But Hart left the psychological bit to the managers and focused on the task in hand.
He admitted that City had let down their fans in recent games and the only way to make amends is to push United all the way to the line by winning their remaining five games.
“The boss can say it however he wants,” said Hart. “But our season is still alive. We’ve had great support this season and we’ve let them down recently. We’ve seen the reaction on their faces when we have dropped points.
“Our supporters pay a lot of money to come and see us and we owe them results.
“We were never going to let the season fizzle out, regardless of what United do. We’re proud, we’ve achieved a lot this season and there is no way we would just let all that go. If we can get 89 points it will take some beating.”
For all the criticism of Carlos Tevez’s behaviour off the pitch, Hart says the controversial striker cannot be reproached for his efforts once over the white line.
With Mario Balotelli suspended, Tevez is likely to start for the second consecutive game and Hart added: “The one thing about Carlos, you can say what you want about him, but if you play him you know what you are going to get. You don’t get any attitude.
“On the field he’s going to give you all he has. It’s lucky we’ve got someone like that.”
Alex Ferguson undeterred by Roberto Mancini's mind games
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says he is focused on winning the Premier League and thinks Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini's attempts at mind games are 'wrong'.
Ferguson is considered an expert in mind games - having trumped many an adversary on the way to a series of Premier League titles with United.
But the 70-year-old was not impressed by his opposite number's latest attempts at psychological warfare, when Mancini declared City still have no chance of winning the title despite United's defeat to Wigan
Coupled with City's 4-0 win over West Brom, the Red Devils' Premier League lead was cut to five points.
But referring to Mancini's pessimistic post-match comments, Ferguson said: 'I think Roberto Mancini has maybe picked the wrong time to say it.
'There's still five games to go. We have to put it in a bit of perspective.
'You drop points in the second half of the season. We have done it most years.
'There has been an odd year when we have gone on a long run without losing but a couple of years back we lost 4-1 to Liverpool and won the league.
'You do drop points in the run-in. City and ourselves have both experienced that.
'But from the position we were in a few months ago, to where we are today, we have to be delighted.
'The great part of our club is that we do recover, and we have to recover from Wednesday.'
But Mancini showed no signs of stopping the mind games in his latest press conference when he said facing Norwich at the weekend would be tougher than playing United.
'United is easy,' he added. 'We could lose or we could win but it is an easy game.
'Against United or Chelsea, our concentration will be 100%.
'Norwich will be really tough because we have only had two days to recover after West Brom.'
The two teams meet on the April 30 at the Etihad Stadium in what could be a title-deciding match.
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale is reportedly a £30m target for Barcelona, on a summer shopping list that also includes Arsenal striker Robin van Persie and Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez. Metro
Croatia coach Slaven Bilic expects more top clubs to follow Chelsea in chasing Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric, 26. Daily Telegraph
Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen says Sir Alex Ferguson is assessing the character of 21-year-old Lille playmaker Eden Hazard before deciding whether to make a bid for him this summer. Inside Futbol
Swansea's strict wage policy is thought likely to prevent any move for Aston Villa defender James Collins, 28. Daily Mirror
Liverpool are monitoring Mexican winger Hector Herrera, nicknamed "The Little Fox", according to the 22-year-old's club, the Mexican Premier League side Pachuca. The Sun
Meanwhile Reds striker Nathan Ecclestone, 21, is thought to be a target for Dutch side PSV Eindhoven. The Sun
West Bromwich Albion want to snap up Peterborough United striker Paul Taylor, 24, and have had scouts posted at 10 Posh games. Daily Mirror
Martin O'Neill is planning a £12m summer move for Spartak Moscow's out-of-favour Scottish-born winger, Aiden McGeady, if he is handed a substantial summer budget by Sunderland. Daily Record
Slovak goalkeeper Marian Kello is poised to go on trial with Aston Villa after quitting Hearts last week following his refusal to sign a new contract. Daily Record
Linesmen Dave Bryan and Ceri Richards, involved in separate controversial incidents last weekend, have been omitted from the remaining Premier League fixtures this season. Daily Mirror
Liverpool are rumoured to have made Dutch legend Johan Cruyff their number one choice for the vacant director of football role, but they face disappointment as the 64-year-old is believed to be unwilling to uproot from his Barcelona home. Daily Mail
Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann says Reds boss Kenny Dalglish should discard Andy Carroll if he does not produce an influential performance in the FA Cup semi-final against Everton this weekend. talkSHIT
Liverpool legend Steve Nicol says his former club have the "psychological advantage" heading into the last-four tie due to their previous victories against Everton in the FA Cup. Daily Express
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp says he does not see the merit in the role of director of football. talkSHIT
Tottenham winger Andros Townsend, currently at Birmingham in his eighth loan move away from White Hart Lane, says he would consider a permanent move to St Andrews. The Sun
Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has urged his players to be wary of making rash challenges on Manchester United's Ashley Young in the area, after the winger won a penalty against QPR last weekend. Daily Mail
An Arab group and American consortium are at the centre of a tug of war to takeover Championship outfit Nottingham Forest. Daily Mirror
American tycoon Bill Miller has shot down reports that he is ready to team up with the Singapore consortium led by Bill Ng to buy Rangers and will plough on with his rival bid. The Sun
Paul Murray says his Blue Knights' bid for Rangers is unaltered despite the club's administrator announcing a delay in the sale process because interested parties had requested changes in light of proposed new Scottish Premier League rules governing penalties for administration and liquidation. Daily Mail
Blue Knights consortium leader Paul Murray has warned Rangers' administrator time is running out to save the club from liquidation after their two rival bidders for the club stalled the process by demanding talks with the Scottish Premier League. Daily Record
Neil Lennon aims to win the Champions League with Celtic and believes it is possible. (Various)
Celtic manager Neil Lennon cannot see himself living anywhere else but Glasgow but hopes the sectarian intimidation he has suffered is now over. (Various)
It has finally been confirmed that Harry Redknapp will be taking his place in the England dug-out. His Spurs team have been given the home dressing room at Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea on Sunday. Daily Mirror
Crawley players have been seen on video reportedly performing a celebratory dance following the departure of manager Steve Evans to Rotherham. Metro
