Di Canio: Political probing ‘pathetic’

Paolo Di Canio has refused to confirm or deny whether he is a fascist but blasted the furore over his appointment as Sunderland manager as “ridiculous and pathetic”.

The 44-year-old Italian, appointed as Martin O’Neill’s successor as Sunderland manager, was asked on several occasions yesterday if he supported fascism and was clearly angered by the questioning.

A news conference was cut short after repeated questions about his political beliefs — Di Canio previously stated in a 2005 interview with an Italian news agency to being “a fascist, but not a racist”, and his appointment led to the resignation of the club’s vice-chairman David Miliband, Labour MP for South Shields and a former foreign secretary.