This is a slightly revised version of my article in the current edition of the Big Issue in the North magazine, which sadly does not cover the north-east of England.
I have been a Sunderland supporter since the 1960s and I was set to make this the 20th season in which I have seen every match. However, on Sunday 31 March I was left distraught when the man appointed to replace Martin O’Neill as Sunderland’s manager was announced as Paolo Di Canio, a fascist.
Anger soon turned to outrage. Within minutes I was contacting fellow fans that I knew would also share my dismay. We had soon set up an informal organisation to marshall our efforts. Utilising contacts in Sunderland and South Shields Labour Party we were able to make contact in New York with the recently resigned South Shields MP David Miliband, a non-executive board member at the football club and its vice-chairman. When he resigned his post on the Sunderland board on the morning of April 1st then it was clear that the football club was no longer laughing at our growing campaign.
We wanted the club to make the self-proclaimed admirer of Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, the shortest managerial appointment ever. For those fans who did not know about Mussolini then the Hope not Hate website proved highly informative.
I knew all about Di Canio’s past. When he had been appointed as manager of Swindon Town in the summer of 2011 I had blogged to say how sad a day it was for football. I had expressed my dismay at Let’s Kick Racism out of Football’s response to his appointment, which largely consisted of writing to the club about their concerns. In comparison the GMB trade union had withdrawn its sponsorship of the Wiltshire club. Di Canio’s appointment attracted little publicity in the national media and no condemnation. In the following months he was feted as a personality by the sports media. The Saturday night BBC programme The Football League show regularly ran features on him.
According to Di Canio, Mussolini was “basically a very principled, ethical individual who was deeply misunderstood.” Di Canio has ‘Dux’ tattooed on his right arm - Latin for Duke, which was Mussolini’s adopted title. Amongst his crimes was the invasion and slaughter of 30,000 Ethiopians, the execution of his political opponents in Italy and his axis of support with Adolf Hitler during the war that led to thousands of Jews being transported to their deaths in concentration camps. Mussolini’s removal in 1943 came at the expense of thousand of British soldier’s lives, including many miners who were serving at the time with the Durham Light Infantry.
Three years ago Di Canio was photographed grieving at the funeral of Paolo Signorelli, who had served eight years in jail for his involvement in the bombing of Bologna train station by the far-right paramilitary group, the Armed Revolutionary Nuclei, in which 85 were massacred.
A Texas millionaire, Ellis Short, owns Sunderland Football Club. Yet like many other fans I still regarded it as mine, my dad and his forefathers supported the club and my five-year-old has a season ticket next to his dad’s in the ground. I did not want Di Canio at my club. Clearly plenty felt the same and I felt proud of the fans’ response.
As football is tribal I could not help but take a dig at a my Liverpool-supporting friend over what I feel has been a collective myopia when it comes to Luis Suarez and his 2011 ban for onfield racist abuse of another player.
I quickly discovered I had little to crow about as many Sunderland fans rushed to the message boards and airwaves to say they did not care about Di Canio’s politics. Fans who opposed his appointment were targeted for vile abuse and in some cases harassment and intimidation.
Dave Bowman, organiser of a Sunderland supporters’ branch in Manchester let it be known on 1 he would not be going if Di Canio stayed. Even so-called friends denounced him. Jim Fox, a retired teacher and former soldier, was shown on Sky Sports on April 2nd returning his season ticket. With hours he found his photograph posted on various web sites. The implication was clear enough.
I had been secretary of Sunderland Fans against Racism in the 1990s and we had to face down similar threats at the time, clearing the way for the football club to take up its own campaigns that members of the organisation agreed to back. Those involved back then feel badly let down today.
The fans sticking with the club wanted a saviour. Sunderland is staring at relegation from the Premier League and avoiding the drop was why O’Neill was sacked.
Sunderland’s hapless chief executive Margaret Byrne said Di Canio was “passionate” and he was going to knock some sense into the underperforming players. On April 14, Sunderland beat fierce local rivals Newcastle United 3-0, sparking wild celebrations I did my best to ignore.
What can’t be swept under the carpet is that the North East has a problem with fascism. The BNP has done well in local elections and the English Defence League has attracted support for its local campaigns against the opening of new mosques. The former mining villages of County Durham are dying. There are few jobs to keep young people occupied and there are few jobs to keep young people occupied. There are high levels of alcohol, drug abuse and anti-social behaviour, all of which are likely to increase because the region is also being hit hard by the government’s attacks on the public sector, on which many of those lucky enough to have a job depend.
The mines have, of course, closed and the huge celebrations over Margaret Thatcher’s death show who miners, as well as former shipyard workers, blame for the destruction of the local manufacturing base and their communities.
When Monkwearmouth Colliery in Sunderland closed in 1993 the site on which it sat was converted into Sunderland’s new magnificent football ground, the Stadium of Light, a clear reference to the mining past of the region. The local miners’ association were happy to rest their banner in the entrance to the Stadium. It has been there for nearly sixteen years.
In the meantime, despite their being no mines, the efforts of the Durham Miners’ Association (DMA) have revitalised the annual Miners’ Gala and last year around 150,000 people attended the event held in Durham City.
When Di Canio was appointed the DMA said on 1 April it intended immediately removing the banner in protest. It was persuaded by fans to seek clarification on Di Canio’s statements and even see if he wished to denounce his past.
I had in the meantime asked for the return of money I had paid for my season ticket for 2013-14.
On speaking to the ticket office it was clear I was not the only one.
A petition was set up by persons unknown and quickly attracted a high number of fans who wanted Di Canio gone. Attempts were made to persuade Show Racism the Red Card to cut links with Sunderland after a press officer for the club verbally abused a fan and defended its actions by pointing out that the anti-racist group was willing to continue working with the club. In a phone call an SRTRC claimed the next Sunderland team photo it plans to promote its work might no include Di Canio. But SRTRC still intend working with a club which has a fascist manager. I find this incredible.
Di Canio himself had said the controversy surrounding his appointment was “ridiculous and pathetic.” By Wednesday 3 April even the Sun newspaper was on our side and had published a photo of Di Canio at Signorelli’s funeral. Later that day, the Italian sought to distance himself from his previous statements by saying: “ I do not support the ideology of fascism.” It has yet to be clarified if he was to be sacked if he did not make such a statement.
For some fans this was sufficient to breathe a sigh of relief, as they just wanted him to get on with the job of improving the team on the pitch. There were even some fan websites who tortured themselves into proving Di Canio wasn’t a fascist. Most people remained unconvinced. A Sunderland Echo poll of 4 April found 1,189 (63 per cent) were not satisfied with Di Canio’s statement on his political views.
Working with Hope not Hate, the DMA were able to assume leadership of those opposed to Di Canio. A meeting between the club and the DMA was arranged, the outcome of which is not yet known.
I believe there now needs to be established a new organisation to fight fascism through a positive campaign for jobs, affordable housing and the establishment of some practical solutions such as community cafes, free debt counselling and the acquisition of unused land for community gardens.
Regular supporters like myself are seeking speaking invitations to football supporters clubs meetings to oppose fascism. We hope to leaflet the football match.
Sunderland Football Club is meantime desperately hoping their gamble in appointing a fascist pays off and they stay up. Whatever the results this season I won’t be there to witness the games and I will not return until Di Canio goes. I’m proud of those who feel the same.
And we made the cup final when he went, well done Gus Poyet.
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