Di Canio blasts ‘disgusting’ antics

It was about an hour after all the tension had passed, and Tottenham had finally accepted their fate, when Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio (inset) offered more theatre and emotion than had even been on the White Hart Lane pitch.

In a remarkable 24-minute monologue following his team’s 1-0 defeat, the Italian ferociously criticised the attitude in his squad and said it had consequently been a “miracle” to keep them in the Premier League. The mood was brought to a head after a British Sunday paper printed pictures of Phil Bardsley lying down in a casino covered in £50 notes in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The full-back was not named in Sunderland’s match-day party.

“He’s out of my squad,” Di Canio said. “How I can play a player that probably is blurry for three, four days after what’s happened? I want to deliver a clear message that there is no excuse to behave like he did. That is something really wrong. It’s disgusting even to see the image for the club.

“We have to respect the dignity of the club, the fans and the rules of the sport. If we don’t punish this kind of behaviour, how do [the Academy players] grow up? Thinking they can laugh about what they saw on the website picture? Maybe they think it’s fantastic; to be like a gangster. But what mentality are we going to deliver?

“It’s not acceptable. I thought that at Swindon, League Two, arrogant, ignorant footballers in some way don’t know exactly because they’ve not had many chances to stay at the top level. I have to tell you unfortunately I found a worse environment in terms of discipline in this club.”

Di Canio also cited a different situation at the club.

“This morning, one player who could have been involved in my squad today, they decide ‘I don’t train today’.

“They make the diagnosis themselves. One player didn’t go to the Academy of Light because he said ‘yesterday I had a food poisoning’. Sorry ‘are you the doctor?’ The doctor tried to contact him and three hours he switched off the telephone.

“This is the situation at Sunderland. This is why I tell you we made a miracle. We need to bring in six or seven players who know how to behave and have a professional ethic. Otherwise, for me, it’s difficult.”