Di Canio: ‘I’m not a racist , I’m a fascist’

Just when you thought the Premier League was beginning to get its act together from last year's catalogue of high profile racial incidents, Sunderland FC appoint Paulo Di Canio, a self proclaimed fascist. The fascism to which Di Canio refers to was the Benito Mussolini type, which together with Adolf Hilter murderously brought the world to its knees with more 60 million deaths and the extermination of more than six million Jews. The Sunderland board suggested that former Vice Chair David Miliband, who is Jewish, was politically posturing by resigning his post.

Paulo Di Canio was as a small boy inducted as an "ultra", or extreme supporter of SS Lazio (the initials stand for Societá Sportiva), a team founded by Italian army officers in 1900 and the preferred club of Benito Mussolini, "Il Duce", one of the founders of fascism.

When Di Canio made his first public salute in Lazio back in 2004, it was in front of Alessandra  Mussolini, Far Right politician and granddaughter of Benito Mussolini. She returned the compliment, stating:

‘What a delightful Roman salute. I was deeply moved.’

When asked to explain himself, Di Canio stated:

‘I’m not a racist, I’m a fascist.’

What’s strange about Sunderland’s position is that the club’s shirt sponsor is ‘Invest in Africa’. A business consortium run by Africans to promote Africa in a positive way. One wonders how they will square having a self-proclaimed fascist spear-heading their team. The Trade Union GMB withdrew its funding for Swindon, when Di Canio was the boss there.

The English Premiership football is the most lucrative football in the world. But with so much money and a truly global audience, surely morality and values of human rights should count even more? Di Canio should be entitled to his odious views, but big business has a moral responsibility to say we will not be associated with anyone who holds views of bigotry and fascism.

Whichever way you look at it, this is a truly sad day for football.

Simon Woolley