Paolo Di Canio Appointed Manager of Sunderland; David Miliband Resigns In Protest

Paolo Di Canio has agreed a two and a half year deal to become the new manager of Sunderland Football Club after Martin O’Neill was sacked last night.

The former West Ham United playmaker was most recently the manager of Swindon Town in League One until he resigned from the club last month after almost two years in charge of The Robins. While at Swindon, Di Canio managed Swindon to promotion from League Two to League One at the end of the 2011-12 season.

Di Canio’s expedited appointment to become Sunderland manager didn’t sit well with Sunderland director David Miliband who resigned his post as a result of Di Canio being appointed. Miliband said, “in the light of the new manager’s past political statements, I think it right to step down.”

Di Canio is a self-proclaimed Fascist, but insists he’s not a racist, and has supported anti-racism campaigns.

Miliband, meanwhile, quit his post last week as foreign secretary to take a post in New York City as head of a charity. The former politician’s comments about Di Canio are a quick attempt to distance himself away from a politically volatile situation.

Di Canio, meanwhile, begins his first day of work at Sunderland tomorrow when he meets his players for the first time. In a recent interview, here’s what Di Canio said about his philosophy regarding management:

“The right place for me is the place that has the ambition and the staff who want to bring in a winning mentality. The club needs to have set rules, which for me are discipline, desire, passion, work ethic and a determination to get the right results to make everybody happy, namely the board, the fans and the club’s players and staff.”

What do you think? Will Paolo Di Canio be able to help Sunderland stay up this season?