52 Facts About Di Canio

1.

Paolo Di Canio was born on 9 July 1968 and is an Italian former professional footballer and manager.

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2.

Di Canio primarily played as a deep-lying forward, but he could play as an attacking midfielder, or as a winger.

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3.

Di Canio began his career in the Italian Serie A, playing for Lazio, Juventus, Napoli and Milan, before a brief spell with the Scottish club Celtic.

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4.

Di Canio subsequently spent seven years in the English Premier League with Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham United and Charlton Athletic.

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5.

Di Canio returned to Italy in 2004, playing for Lazio and Cisco Roma before retiring in 2008.

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6.

Di Canio played for the Italian under-21s, making 9 appearances and scoring 2 goals, and was a member of the squad that finished in third place at the 1990 UEFA European Under-21 Championship under manager Cesare Maldini, but was never capped for the senior team.

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7.

In 2011, Di Canio entered football management in England with Swindon Town, guiding them in his first full season as manager to promotion to League One.

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8.

Di Canio was appointed as the Sunderland manager at the end of March 2013, but was sacked on 22 September after Sunderland had won only three of thirteen games under his managership.

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9.

Di Canio signed for Lazio in 1985 and remained there until 1990.

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10.

Di Canio scored the winner in the first Rome derby of the season, a goal which contributed to Lazio's survival in Serie A that season and earning him hero status.

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11.

Di Canio was called to the referee's room after the teams had returned to the dressing room and was shown another yellow card in addition to the one he had received earlier in the game.

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12.

Di Canio demanded a large wage rise at the end of the season, but this was rejected by Celtic.

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13.

Di Canio then refused to join the squad in the Netherlands for their pre-season training during July 1997.

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14.

On 6 August 1997, Di Canio moved to the English Premiership as he joined Sheffield Wednesday in a transfer deal valued at around £4.

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15.

In September 1998, Di Canio pushed referee Paul Alcock to the ground after being sent off while playing for Sheffield Wednesday against Arsenal at Hillsborough, which resulted in an extended ban of 11 matches and him being fined £10,000.

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16.

Di Canio had not played football since his ban following his push on Paul Alcock.

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17.

West Ham manager Harry Redknapp, on signing Di Canio, admitted he was taking a chance but said of the player "He can do things with the ball that people can only dream of".

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18.

Di Canio helped them to achieve a high league position and qualify for the UEFA Cup through the Intertoto Cup.

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19.

In December 2000, late in a game against Everton and with both sides vying for the winning goal, Di Canio shunned a goal-scoring opportunity and stopped play, grabbing the ball from a cross inside the box, as the Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard was lying injured on the ground after he twisted his knee attempting a clearance on the edge of the box.

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20.

FIFA officially lauded Di Canio's gesture, describing it as "a special act of good sportsmanship, " and awarded him next year the FIFA Fair Play Award.

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21.

Di Canio insisted that he wouldn't be able to leave West Ham, who had handed him a lifeline in the worst moment in his life.

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22.

In 2003, with the Hammers struggling at the bottom of the league, Di Canio had a very public row with manager Glenn Roeder and was dropped from the first team.

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23.

Di Canio provided most of the spark for Charlton's much-improved second-half display, and after Jonathan Fortune had equalised for Charlton, it was from Di Canio's corner kick in the last minute that Shaun Bartlett headed home the winning goal.

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24.

However the negative publicity that Di Canio generated for Lazio, including his intimate relationship with club's ultras and their increased influence thanks to his presence in the team, coupled with problems with some teammates and coaches, exasperated club president and majority shareholder, Claudio Lotito, with whom he already had a difficult relationship.

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25.

Di Canio subsequently signed with Cisco Roma of Serie C2 on a free transfer.

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26.

Di Canio subsequently agreed to stay with Cisco for another season, in a second attempt to win promotion to Serie C1 with the Roman side.

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27.

On 10 March 2008, Di Canio announced his retirement from football, ending his 23-year playing career before the end of the season due to physical issues.

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28.

Di Canio played in Tony Carr's testimonial game at Upton Park on 5 May 2010, which featured a West Ham team against West Ham Academy old boys.

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29.

Di Canio was never capped for Italy at senior level, although at U21 level he earned 11 call-ups and nine caps between 1988 and 1990, scoring twice.

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30.

Versatile attacker, Di Canio primarily played as a deep-lying forward, but he could play as an attacking midfielder, or as a winger.

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31.

On 20 May 2011, Di Canio was appointed manager of Swindon Town on a two-year contract, following the club's relegation to League Two.

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32.

On 30 August 2011, Di Canio was involved in a pitch-side altercation with Swindon striker Leon Clarke after their defeat in the League Cup to Southampton.

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33.

Di Canio stated that he believed his players deserved to have their names put on the stadium and dedicated the victory to his father, who died late in 2011.

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34.

Di Canio was sent to the stands later in the month in a league game against Macclesfield Town for vociferously venting his frustration at his side not being awarded a free-kick.

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35.

In January 2013, with Swindon under a transfer embargo and in financial difficulty, Di Canio offered to pay £30,000 of his own money to keep loan players John Bostock, Chris Martin and Danny Hollands at the club.

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36.

On 18 January 2013, ahead of Swindon's Saturday clash with Shrewsbury Town, Di Canio worked into the night alongside approximately 200 volunteers to clear a snow-covered pitch at the County Ground, thus allowing the game to go ahead.

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37.

Di Canio offered to pay £30,000 of his own money to keep loan players at the club.

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38.

The appointment of Di Canio sparked opposition from the Durham Miners' Association, which decided to remove one of its mining banners from Sunderland's Stadium of Light, which is built on the former site of the Monkwearmouth Colliery, as a symbol of its anger over the appointment.

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39.

Di Canio was tasked with keeping Sunderland in the Premier League, following a run of only three points from a possible 24.

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40.

Di Canio then got his first win at the Stadium of Light against Everton.

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41.

Sunderland chief executive officer Margaret Byrne stated that Di Canio had been sacked after senior players had approached her and that his situation became untenable due to his "brutal and vitriolic" criticism of the squad.

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42.

Di Canio was linked with the Celtic job in May 2014, and applied for vacant managerial positions at Bolton Wanderers in October 2014, and Rotherham United in September 2015 and again in February 2016.

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43.

Di Canio received a one-match ban after the second event and was fined €7,000.

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44.

Di Canio has expressed admiration for the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

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45.

In 2010, Di Canio attended the funeral of senior fascist Paolo Signorelli, where mourners were photographed making mass fascist salutes towards Signorelli's coffin.

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46.

When Di Canio was appointed as the manager of Swindon Town in 2011, the trade union GMB terminated its sponsorship agreement with the club, worth around £4,000 per season, due to Di Canio's fascist views.

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47.

Di Canio was appointed as manager of Sunderland on 31 March 2013.

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48.

Di Canio has several tattoos, including on his right biceps the Latin word "DUX", meaning "leader" or, in Italian, Il Duce—a nickname for Benito Mussolini.

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49.

Sky Sport Italia was forced to apologize after Di Canio appeared as a pundit in September 2016 in a short-sleeved shirt, thus revealing the tattoo to television viewers; he was later suspended by the station.

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50.

Di Canio's back is covered with a tattoo of fascist imagery, including an eagle, fasces, and a portrait of Mussolini.

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51.

Di Canio has a West Ham United tattoo on his left upper arm and a tattoo of his father on his chest.

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52.

Di Canio has spoken of the growing influence in his life of Samurai culture, and of the Japanese spiritual mentality from reading Mishima, and the teachings in the traditions of Hagakure and Bushido.

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