Paolo’s defence

Posted Thursday, May 09, 2013 by The Sun

DOWN BUT NOT OUT ... an upset Di Canio was told the board had faith in him

PAOLO DI CANIO threatened to quit as Sunderland boss amid the row over his political beliefs.

The Italian’s fascist sympathies set off a storm of protest when he took charge at the Stadium of Light in March.

Former Foreign Secretary David Miliband quit the Sunderland board in protest at Di Canio’s politics.

And the former West Ham star revealed he offered to resign just days after taking over.

Di Canio, 44, said: “I’m still surprised at the fuss about me being appointed by Sunderland.

“There was some debate when I got the Swindon job in 2011 but then everything died down.

“I thought certain arguments had been overcome but instead they got blown up into a political case.

“It was obvious that things were being exploited. The Labour MP David Miliband had announced a month before that he was going to the United States.

“But by linking his resignation from the club’s board to my arrival, he got people talking about him once more.

“I told Sunderland’s directors: ‘If I’m going to be a problem for you, I’ll quit’. But their answer was: ‘Stay here, we have faith in you’.

“In England people equate fascism with the bombings during the Second World War and with Nazism.

“I have never been part of what fascism drifted into. I supported the policies of the Twenties but stood back from the racial laws the party implemented from then on.

“I’ve never been a racist and my life speaks in my defence. I am a man of the political right but I am no racist.

“I come from a Catholic family but I followed my own path as I grew up.

“My spiritual beliefs can be seen in modern-day paganism, as well as in various Eastern philosophies.”

Di Canio’s views extend to the playing field. And he believes he has improved Sunderland since taking over from Martin O’Neill — pointing out that he has bettered the Irishman’s average point-per-game return from his 31 matches this season.

The Black Cats chief, who has picked up seven points from five games to leave them three points above the drop zone, said: “My first 40 days in the Premier League have been amazing. I have improved on my predecessor’s average.

“But if I can’t keep Sunderland up I will have failed and chaos will break out again. If there was an English manager in my place the media would say: ‘Give him time’.

“Managing in Italy would be a nice challenge. But Sunderland has the same passion for football as a city like Naples.

“One time I went to get my haircut and a crowd of people gathered to shake my hand!”