[Archived] Relegation threatened Sunderland sack manager Martin O'Neill

[imy9]

From what I can see, Di Canio has just renounced Fascism.

http://www.safc.com/news/club-news/2013/april/statement-from-paolo-di-canio

Did he have problems in Italy when he said he was a Fascist and so came to England?? It kind of sounds that way.

Well that took a long time didn't it?

His views are exactly what they were yesterday only now the club have probably applied pressure (due to the backlash from the public) to ensure this issue is deflected.

[Howler]

The whole story is a waste of time and a non-issue. Who cares about his tattoo or his alleged political views. He has become Sunderland's manager not the town mayor.

[RevidgeBlue]

DEAN OF DURHAM URGES DI CANIO TO ``RENOUNCE FASCISM''

By Martyn Ziegler, Chief Reporter, Press Association Sport

The Dean of Durham has written an open letter to new Sunderland manager Paolo di Canio calling on the Italian to publicly renounce fascism or risk being associated with ``toxic far-right tendencies''.

The Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove, the son of a Jewish war refugee and a Sunderland supporter, said he was struggling to stay loyal to the club and that he found Di Canio's ``self-confessed fascism deeply troubling''.

Di Canio refused to confirm or deny whether he was a fascist at a news conference yesterday but has previously stated he is ``a fascist but not a racist''.

He has also been pictured giving a fascist salute to Lazio 'ultras' and photographed attending the funeral of a leading Italian fascist.

In his open letter to Di Canio, the Dean of Durham wrote: ``Your appointment raises very difficult questions. You see, I am the child of a Jewish war refugee who got out of Germany and came to Britain just in time. Some of her family and friends perished in the Nazi death camps. So I find your self-confessed fascism deeply troubling.

``Fascism was nearly the undoing of the world. It cost millions of innocent lives. Mussolini, who you say has been deeply misunderstood, openly colluded with it. You are said to wear a tattoo DUX which speaks for itself. This all adds up to what I find baffling.

``You say that you are not a racist, but it needs great sophistication to understand how fascism and racism are ultimately different. I can promise you that this distinction will be lost on the people of the North East where the British National Party is finding fertile ground in which to sow the seeds of its pernicious and poisonous doctrine.

``You did not necessarily know this before you came. But I believe that unless you clearly renounce fascism in all its manifestations, you will be associated with these toxic far-right tendencies we have seen too much of in this region.''

Sadgrove said he was ``genuinely perplexed'' as to why Di Canio had refused to clarify his political beliefs and warned that the club now stands to lose support and respect at home and abroad.

He added: ``Please tell me that I have misunderstood, or missed some fundamental issue here. I am simply telling you with a heavy heart that it feels hard at the moment to stay loyal.''

That'll be a bloke in a frock who cons old grannies out of their last few quid every Sunday on the pretext of a fairytale asking Di Canio to justify his beliefs then........

[jim mk2]

The whole story is a waste of time and a non-issue. Who cares about his tattoo or his alleged political views. He has become Sunderland's manager not the town mayor.

So the views of Sunderland's Jewish supporters, the church (see above), and all decent people offended by his actions and statements count for nothing ?

[Amo]

So the views of Sunderland's Jewish supporters, the church (see above), and all decent people offended by his actions and statements count for nothing ?

[imy9]

So the views of Sunderland's Jewish supporters, the church (see above), and all decent people offended by his actions and statements count for nothing ?

Agreed. It does matter, seems as if as long as he wins a few games of football then everything else is ok.

[RevidgeBlue]

Agreed. It does matter, seems as if as long as he wins a few games of football then everything else is ok.

Well, that is what he's there for.

If he was standing for some form of political office the situation would be entirely different.

[Audax]

That'll be a bloke in a frock who cons old grannies out of their last few quid every Sunday on the pretext of a fairytale asking Di Canio to justify his beliefs then........

Mussolini by the way was an Atheist so they say. But I'm wary of history in a nutshell.

[jim mk2]

Glenn Hoddle lost his job as England manager after expressing some bizarre views but Di Canio's stance is far worse in my opinion. Sunderland might well survive under him but they have lost alot of national public goodwill because of this appointment.

[AggyBlue]

Glenn Hoddle lost his job as England manager after expressing some bizarre views but Di Canio's stance is far worse in my opinion. Sunderland might well survive under him but they have lost alot of national public goodwill because of this appointment.

Start a campaign to get him ousted then. Stop boring the kean out of us on here.

[imy9]

Well, that is what he's there for.

If he was standing for some form of political office the situation would be entirely different.

I may be mistaken but is he not supposed to be a role model for others?

Also will his viewpoints stop him from buying certain players, dealing with people in a unfair manner etc? Just think that it IS an issue and simply side stepping it pretty much sums up the premier league IMO.

[Stuart]

Paolo Di Canio's arrival at Sunderland highlights need for manager scouts.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2013/apr/03/paolo-di-canio-sunderland-manager-research

Managerial scouts already exist, don't they? They're called agents.

[jim mk2]

Start a campaign to get him ousted then. Stop boring the kean out of us on here.

Thank you for your valuable input.

Sunderland Against Fascist Di Canio

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2302764/Sunderland-fans-want-new-manager-Di-Canio-removed.html

[Audax]

Forget this, I linked but they use to many wirty dords.

[LDRover]

I may be mistaken but is he not supposed to be a role model for others?

That's fair enough imy, but I don't recall you denouncing K### in the same way after he was caught drink driving.

[jim mk2]

I may be mistaken but is he not supposed to be a role model for others?

Also will his viewpoints stop him from buying certain players, dealing with people in a unfair manner etc? Just think that it IS an issue and simply side stepping it pretty much sums up the premier league IMO.

Managers aren't "role models" any more than players are - they're just doing a job. That's not the point - he shouldn't be anywhere near such a high-profile job because his stated views and past actions are unacceptable in a decent society. The Premier League should have acted but as usual turned a blind eye.

[blueboy3333]

Well, that is what he's there for.

If he was standing for some form of political office the situation would be entirely different.

I think there's a bit of double standards going on here. If it's ok for him to use Lazio's stadium to give a fascist salute and bring politics into football then surely it's ok for people who aren't fascist to question his suitability to manage a high-profile football club in this country. He brought politics into football when he gestured to the far-right scum who follow Lazio. It wasn't the media.

[blueboy3333]

Absolutely pathetic how much media attention this is getting.

Let the guy have his views and get on with his job.

Talk about fascist...

Does that apply to racists too? religious extremists? homophobes? holocaust deniers?

Would it be ok for anyone from those groups to be Rovers manager? Abu Qatada perhaps?

[Philly13]

Does that apply to racists too? religious extremists? homophobes? holocaust deniers?

Would it be ok for anyone from those groups to be Rovers manager? Abu Qatada perhaps?

No. Who said it does? Political views are far different. Example: If he was a homophobe it wouldn't be okay. But if he didn't believe in gay marriage, it wouldn't be an evil thing, just a different view. Maybe on religious grounds.

[Amo]

Does that apply to racists too? religious extremists? homophobes? holocaust deniers?

Funny how you left out Zionist.

[blueboy3333]

No. Who said it does? Political views are far different. Example: If he was a homophobe it wouldn't be okay. But if he didn't believe in gay marriage, it wouldn't be an evil thing, just a different view. Maybe on religious grounds.

I didn't mention gay marriage. My point was that if it's ok for PDC to hold fascist views, as Amarillo stated, then does that mean that racists etc must also be tolerated. The point was that fascism has many tenets, many are incorporated in the things i mentioned. Mussolini, for example, viewed Africans as an inferior race and killed a great many catholics and union members for no other reason than they didn't fit into his view of how Italians should live. Religion, race and politics all come under the banner of fascism. I don't see your point?

Funny how you left out Zionist.

Eh? i left out many things. there are a million isms. Add Zionist to the list if it makes you happy, just don't project your own bigotry on to me.

[Hanks]

Funny how you left out Zionist.

I would've thought they came under Religious extremists

[Stuart]

I didn't mention gay marriage. My point was that if it's ok for PDC to hold fascist views, as Amarillo stated, then does that mean that racists etc must also be tolerated. The point was that fascism has many tenets, many are incorporated in the things i mentioned. Mussolini, for example, viewed Africans as an inferior race and killed a great many catholics and union members for no other reason than they didn't fit into his view of how Italians should live. Religion, race and politics all come under the banner of fascism. I don't see your point?

Eh? i left out many things. there are a million isms. Add Zionist to the list if it makes you happy, just don't project your own bigotry on to me.

Is it any wonder Am'o is taking the @#/? out of you?

Have a word with yourself. It's a football messageboard, not Newsnight.

[Guest Norbert]

Whenever I see Paolo called 'PDC' I can't help but wonder if Phil the power Taylor is a member of the British Nationalist Party.

[thenodrog]

DEAN OF DURHAM URGES DI CANIO TO ``RENOUNCE FASCISM''

By Martyn Ziegler, Chief Reporter, Press Association Sport

The Dean of Durham has written an open letter to new Sunderland manager Paolo di Canio calling on the Italian to publicly renounce fascism or risk being associated with ``toxic far-right tendencies''.

The Very Reverend Michael Sadgrove, the son of a Jewish war refugee and a Sunderland supporter, said he was struggling to stay loyal to the club and that he found Di Canio's ``self-confessed fascism deeply troubling''.

Di Canio refused to confirm or deny whether he was a fascist at a news conference yesterday but has previously stated he is ``a fascist but not a racist''.

He has also been pictured giving a fascist salute to Lazio 'ultras' and photographed attending the funeral of a leading Italian fascist.

In his open letter to Di Canio, the Dean of Durham wrote: ``Your appointment raises very difficult questions. You see, I am the child of a Jewish war refugee who got out of Germany and came to Britain just in time. Some of her family and friends perished in the Nazi death camps. So I find your self-confessed fascism deeply troubling.

``Fascism was nearly the undoing of the world. It cost millions of innocent lives. Mussolini, who you say has been deeply misunderstood, openly colluded with it. You are said to wear a tattoo DUX which speaks for itself. This all adds up to what I find baffling.

``You say that you are not a racist, but it needs great sophistication to understand how fascism and racism are ultimately different. I can promise you that this distinction will be lost on the people of the North East where the British National Party is finding fertile ground in which to sow the seeds of its pernicious and poisonous doctrine.

``You did not necessarily know this before you came. But I believe that unless you clearly renounce fascism in all its manifestations, you will be associated with these toxic far-right tendencies we have seen too much of in this region.''

Sadgrove said he was ``genuinely perplexed'' as to why Di Canio had refused to clarify his political beliefs and warned that the club now stands to lose support and respect at home and abroad.

He added: ``Please tell me that I have misunderstood, or missed some fundamental issue here. I am simply telling you with a heavy heart that it feels hard at the moment to stay loyal.''

How come the Dean is not a rabbi then? Perhaps he too has a few questions to answer.

Agreed. It does matter, seems as if as long as he wins a few games of football then everything else is ok.

If that happens and Sunderland decide to pot him then he can certainly come here. In fact I'd pick him up from the station.