THE IGBO GIANT STRIDES AGAINST ALL ODDS
9 years ago
Italian ex international footballer, Paula Di Canio is not a stranger to controversy.In the twilight of his football playing career, Paulo Di Canio courted controversial with his use of Roman Salute toward Lazio supporters, a gesture adopted by Italian fascists in the 20th century. Two high profile matches in which Di Canio used the the Roman salute were the matches against arch-rivals A.S. Roma and A.S Livorno Calcio, a club inclined to left-wing politics. Paula Di Canio was handed out a one-match ban after the second event and was fined €7,000. But he remained admant and was later quoted as saying:
"I will always salute as I did because it gives me a sense of belonging to my people ... I saluted my people with what for me is a sign of belonging to a group that holds true values, values of civility against the standardisation that this society imposes upon us."
He has also expressed admiration for the fascist leader Benito Mussolini in his autobiography, where he praised Mussolini as "basically a very principled, ethical individual" who was "deeply misunderstood" Di canio is also noted for his several tattoos, one of which is on his right biceps with the Latin word "DUX", meaning "leader" or, in Italian, Il Duce—an antonomasia for Benito Mussolini.
Di Canio's political orientation has been a source of controversy in the course of his managerial career. When Di Canio was appointed as the manager of Swindon Town in 2011, the trade union GMB terminated its sponsorship agreement with the club, worth around £4,000 per season, due to Di Canio's fascist views.
His appointment as the manager of Sunderland on 31 March 2013 brought about the resignation of the club's vice-chairman David Miliband, a Labour politician and former foreign Secretary. Miliband said that he had taken the decision to resign "in the light of the new manager's past political statements".
In a profile piece in 2011, an unnamed source asserted that Di Canio was not "an ideological fascist", attributing his behaviour to "his psychological history, particularly his former compulsive tendencies and pronounced mood swings". In the same article, Di Canio said that he was not politically active: "I don't vote, I haven't voted for 14 years. Italian politicians — all of them — think only about themselves, and making money.
Hard as Di Canio try to diffuse the controversies surround his professed political views, there are still many out there like Milliband that are yet to be convinced.
Hard as Di Canio try to diffuse the controversies surround his professed political views, there are still many out there like Milliband that are yet to be convinced.
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