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.

Di Canio said: “I don’t have to answer any more this question. There was a very good statement from the club, (with) very, very clear words that came out from me.

“My life speaks for me so there is no need to speak any more about this situation because it’s ridiculous and pathetic.

“I can’t every two weeks, every two months, every 10 months answer the same questions that are not really in my area. We are in a football club and not in the House of Parliament.”

He added: “I have said many, many words in the past and people have picked the words they wanted, I can’t keep going on about my life and my family.

“The people who are talking in this way, they don’t understand Paolo Di Canio.”

He also insisted the controversy would not impact on the squad, who are only a point off the relegation zone. “It’s not a distraction, they are footballers and only because the club has changed the manager is it a big shock.”

Di Canio warned his players they will have to fit in with his disciplined approach to training. He said: “You have to know how to manage your players. It is obvious you have different egos in the Premier League, but you have to have strict rules, discipline, and work hard on the field during the week otherwise the product you deliver on Saturday is not good.

“That won’t change. It’s not just Paolo Di Canio’s opinion, all managers around the world think the same.”

Di Canio insisted he will win over fans unhappy at his appointment.

He said: “It was the same for a different reason at Swindon. There were many, many people who could not believe that Di Canio was the right manager for the club.

“After two months, there were 9,000 people at the end of the game clapping their hands for my players and singing my name.

“It is more important the Sunderland fans sing my players’ names as they need the extra lift. They will then be happy, probably, as they will think they were wrong and now we have to keep Di Canio forever.”

Di Canio added that he would “bet everything” that Sunderland would be in the Premier League next season.

He said: “The press call me the mad Italian but I would confidently bet everything I have on Sunderland remaining in the top flight.

“When I got the call, I felt fire in my belly. I would have swam to Sunderland to take the job.”