The Irons legend was this week named as manager of relegation-threatened Sunderland and the decision provoked an angry reaction from fans and media alike, with former Labour MP David Miliband standing down from the Sunderland board in protest, less than a week after resigning from his South Shields seat. Sullivan has, blessedly, refrained from jumping on the bandwagon of faux outrage at the appointment that somehow wasn't so prominent when Di Canio was appointed Swindon manager, nor when West Ham decided to name a club suite in his honour, but the co-chairman is clear in his views.
"Paolo Di Canio is in the top rank of West Ham legends; he is a tremendous supporter of the club and has always struck me as charming and intelligent and I find it hard to criticise him- but put simply, he should not be managing a club until he has convincingly renounced fascism."
"Managers, like owners, have a duty to the wider community and that is why, despite once having considered him as a future manager of West Ham, David Gold and I wouldn't hire him now, until he renounced his extremist views."
Sullivan's piece was well-reasoned, articulate and logical and not of the brash nature we've seen from him in the past, when he has made comments such as "we made Wolves look like Manchester United" after a home defeat in 2010; but all the same, is it really the chairman's place to comment on other club's affairs? There is also the matter of our chairman's previous comments on Di Canio in a Telegraph interview 13 months ago...
"I'd like nothing better than in 5 years time to be in the Champion's (sic) League, Sam's got the England job, Di Canio's got Swindon promotion to the Premier League.. and we pinch him!"
To quote Jimmy Greaves, there were days when you couldn't name a club chairman, let alone recognise one in the street...
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
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