Paola di Canio!

what was the story with him throwing his jersey to the nazi fans in the crowd at lazio stadium.was he supporting them or was it an act of defiance?

cournioni

As a kid he used to be a Lazio Ultra. So it is more than likely that he just throwing it into the fans as an act of support. Last year he made a salute towards them too. One of his main idols was Mussolini aswell.

I'll let you make up your own mind.

if he supportracism.then i feel sorry for him.

Big Nelly

PORNAPSTER wrote:

One of his main idols was Mussolini aswell..

Has a couple of tatoos of Mussolini as well

wheres me jumpa

PORNAPSTER wrote:

Last year he made a salute towards them too. One of his main idols was Mussolini aswell.

i can remember that, changed my opinion on the man.

whiskeyman

he did also push a black man to the ground once....


(oh wait...)

mchurl

he has got a bit of a nasty side to him

Steve_o

mchurl wrote:

he has got a bit of a nasty side to him

Thats putting it mildly!!

-oRnein9-

PORNAPSTER wrote:

As a kid he used to be a Lazio Ultra. So it is more than likely that he just throwing it into the fans as an act of support. Last year he made a salute towards them too. One of his main idols was Mussolini aswell.

I'll let you make up your own mind.

I read in(i think it was the independent) yesterday that he preformed this salute again at the weekend is there any truth in this????

BaZmO*

whiskeyman wrote:

he did also push a black man to the ground once....


(oh wait...)

Ha ha. Took me a second, but I got it!

B.

shepthedog

Still an incredible talent tho, I remember an interview from around the time he gave that salute to the fans, said he just got carried away in emotion etc, (hes a bit of an emotional character anyway) ... Amazingly gifted footballer tho and I dont think theres any menace to him..

wheres me jumpa

http://www.rte.ie/sport/2005/1219/dicanio.html

got one game.

blatter said he should have been banned for life.

cant believe hes 39.

godtabh

-oRnein9- wrote:

I read in(i think it was the independent) yesterday that he preformed this salute again at the weekend is there any truth in this????

Yeah it was all over the news but cant find a link handy. Google it and you should come up with it

Rikand

wheres me jumpa wrote:

http://www.rte.ie/sport/2005/1219/dicanio.html

cant believe hes 39.

39 and still performing at the top level, legend!

Disclaimer :: not supporting his political views or alleged political views, just stating his skill as a footballer ( legendary! )

TheDoc

Erm it is clear he has a very socialistic outlook politically, he is not a nazi contrare to popular beliefs. But he does admire how people like mussolini and hitler stood up to tyrany from the allies and how they refused to accept an imbalanced and mockery treaty.

not my views but off his own pulblished in a book about him. And in a world of freedom of speech supposidly you cant actually say he is wrong or a horrible person, its his belief and he is not a nazi, and since the nazi party is only a tiny shadow of its former self, who cares?

godtabh

Link about his salute and ban!

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=352711&cc=5739

MrJoeSoap

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote:

Erm it is clear he has a very socialistic outlook politically, he is not a nazi contrare to popular beliefs. But he does admire how people like mussolini and hitler stood up to tyrany from the allies and how they refused to accept an imbalanced and mockery treaty.

not my views but off his own pulblished in a book about him. And in a world of freedom of speech supposidly you cant actually say he is wrong or a horrible person, its his belief and he is not a nazi, and since the nazi party is only a tiny shadow of its former self, who cares?

Having a "socialistic" belief is one thing, but making a facist salute to a bunch of right-wing nutcases in a game against a famously left-wing and anti-facist club is a completely different kettle of fish. Its not the first time either.

As for him "admiring" how Hitler stood up to tyranny... :rolleyes:

He's 37, not 39 by the way.

therecklessone

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote:

not my views but off his own pulblished in a book about him. And in a world of freedom of speech supposidly you cant actually say he is wrong or a horrible person, its his belief and he is not a nazi

Its a fascist salute, fascists are not the same as nazis.

And in a world of of freedom of speech surely I'm as free to say what I want (certainly within the laws and rules that govern society...and boards...) as he is to admit his admiration for Mussolini and to express himself in the manner he chooses?

I saluted my people with what for me is a sign of belonging to a group that holds true values, values of civility against the standardisation that this society imposes upon us,' the striker told Italian radio station Radio Spazio Aperto.

'I'm proud to be able to count on such people and I will continue to salute them in this way

His people? The people who he stood on the Curva Nord with, who waved swastika flags during the game with Livorno, who commerated the death of the butcher Arkan (Serbian warlord)?

If we are in the hand of the Jewish community it's the end,' he said. 'If action is taken because one community is up in arms it could be dangerous

Disturbing TBH.

He's entitled to his opinion of course, just as I'm entitled to denounce it.

p.s. just for balance, Lucarelli who plays for Livorno has expressed support for FARC and Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), two murderous left wing guerilla movements in Sth America. Di Canio ain't alone.

MrJoeSoap

therecklessone wrote:

p.s. just for balance, Lucarelli who plays for Livorno has expressed support for FARC and Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), two murderous left wing guerilla movements in Sth America. Di Canio ain't alone.

Highly unusual considering he is Italian born and raised and has never played in South America...

LostinBlanch

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote:

Erm it is clear he has a very socialistic outlook politically

Shouldn't that be national socialistic outlook? :rolleyes:

BTW I'm not surprised, the club he plays for isn't referred to as Nazio by other Italian supporters for nothing you know.

[EDIT] Good player though

SpAcEd OuT

Di Canio fury at FA ban
Tuesday 20 December, 2005
Paolo Di Canio is furious with the Italian FA for punishing his Roman salute to Lazio fans last weekend. "I am appalled - it is a political punishment," he fumed.

Di Canio learned yesterday that he must serve a one-match ban tomorrow and pay a £7,000 fine for saluting Lazio fans with his now infamous fascist style salute during their match with Juventus on Saturday.

The Lazio captain, though, insists that his gesture is a greeting that dates back to Roman times and which has nothing to do with politics.

"I am appalled," said the 37-year-old in an interview on Italian television show Lazialità in TV. "The ban that they have imposed on me is an injustice but, moreover, it is a political punishment.

"It is absurd and embarrassing," he added. "You only have to look at the motives behind those who have attacked me with this punishment.

"I’ve explained many times that the salute refers to the way people used to greet each other in Ancient Rome and symbolises a sense of belonging," he continued. "It has nothing whatsoever to do with the fascist regime and neither is it racist."

Di Canio feels that he has been made a victim of a left-wing agenda. While insisting that he believes politics should be kept out of football, he also explained that his punishment is merely heightening the political debate.

"I am the first one to say that politics should stay out of our football stadiums, but this means all politics and not just one side and not the other," he explained.

"However, with this punishment they have brought politics into football, because this is nothing less than an exclusively political sentence."

The former West Ham and Charlton midfielder must now sit out his side’s trip to Lecce on Wednesday as there is not enough time for him to launch an appeal before the game.

"I can’t appeal," he said. "Now, obviously, I’m waiting for the club to do something. I can only repeat that this is an embarrassment because it prevents freedom of expression and I want to have the freedom to express myself."

The lifelong Biancocelesti fan added that the leader of Lazio’s right-wing group of ultras, the Irriducibili, are organising a sit-in to protest against the decision.

MrJoeSoap

SpAcEd OuT wrote:

"I’ve explained many times that the salute refers to the way people used to greet each other in Ancient Rome and symbolises a sense of belonging," he continued. "It has nothing whatsoever to do with the fascist regime and neither is it racist."

Hmmmm... You greet a bunch of Lazio facists, bearing swastikas, with a salute like this and expect people to immediately understand and associate your actions with Ancient Rome?

Very interesting Paulo tbh.

Either I'm completely missing a point here or Ancient Rome had a highly unusual and aggresive way of greeting.

mchurl

He is a top class footballer but he should leave his beliefs at home where they belong/

therecklessone

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Either I'm completely missing a point here or Ancient Rome had a highly unusual and aggresive way of greeting.

It is the Roman salute, but was adopted by Mussolini's fascist movement in the 20s. I'm sure others can tell you the full history of it (The Corinthian might help) but AFAIK it was because they wished to match the power and prestige of ancient Rome.

What makes the gesture objectionable is that Di Canio knows the history of his club, knows the reputation of their fans, hell he was(still is) one fer Christ's sake!!! Claiming that its the Roman salute and not a gesture recognised throughout Italy as a fascist gesture is akin to me waving a swastika at a Stormfront beers and claiming its because I want to celebrate my Hindu heritage. He should know better.

Now I can't work out whether he means it because he shares some or all of a political philosophy with the Lazio Ultras or because he's so niave he thinks that despite the connotations associated with it he's just celebrating ancient Rome. Maybe he should drop the HBO subscription...

BigCon

Hislop saddened by Di Canio gesture (from rte.ie)
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Wednesday, 21 December 2005 7:30[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop feels betrayed and bitterly disappointed by the controversial behaviour of his former team-mate Paolo Di Canio.
Hislop, a committed anti-racism campaigner, indicated his friendship with Di Canio is over after the Italian was suspended for one match and fined for aiming a fascist salute at supporters.
Di Canio, who misses Lazio's Serie A match at Lecce this evening, labelled the suspension "unjust" and insisted his salute "has nothing to do with with any political ideologies".
The 37-year-old saluted his fans the same way during a Rome derby last season, and at Livorno last week. He insists it is a greeting which dates back to ancient Rome.
"I will always salute that way because it gives me a sense of belonging to my people," he said recently.
But Hislop does not buy former Hammer Di Canio's explanation, given the straight-armed salute now stands for something entirely different.
"I am very disappointed by it. Paolo never impressed me as that kind of person when he was here at West Ham," said Hislop.
"We got on very well. He got on well with my wife and my kids and to see him making the headlines for his actions disappoints me greatly because of what those gestures mean and the wider effect of it."
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi jumped to Di Canio's defence today, insisting the striker is not a fascist and simply misunderstood.
"Di Canio is an exhibitionist. His salute didn't have any significance. He's a good lad," said Berlusconi.
But Hislop cannot dismiss Di Canio's behaviour as quickly and easily as that.
"I feel particularly disheartened by it. It is one thing to see someone do it and take a stand against it," he said.
"But when it is someone you certainly felt was a friend it has a much longer-lasting effect."

The mind boggles how anyone can try to defend this type of behaviour...
[/FONT]

therecklessone

Pretty clear from this what he meant by the gesture...

http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/051223/2/fqwx.html

Di Canio wrote:

I am a fascist, not a racist

he deserves his ban!anybody who shows support for people involved in violence should not be allowed to influence young people!

bizmark

In this era of "free speech" and "understanding" for every one the mans got balls to show his support for an unpopulor group I respect him for that tbh

zAbbo

me too, He's a true hero for standing up for something he strongly believes in.

And as for Shaka Hislop, pfft.