Former Sunderland manager Paolo di Canio has denied that he was sacked by the club after losing a power struggle against his players.
According to reports emerging from the Black Cats camp, the fiery Italian manager was sacked immediately after the club hierarchy got wind of a training ground bust between the former West Ham United player and some of his stars. The former Lazio and AC Milan player was handed the pink slip last month and was replaced by former Chelsea player Gus Poyet as the manager earlier in October.
But according to di Canio, who left the club when it was rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, there was absolutely no training ground bust up with his players or anything else as is being reported in the English media. He went on to state that many of his former players have since sent him text messages, thanking him for his time as the Sunderland manager and helping them to become better footballers.
Di Canio was brought in to replace Martin O’Neill as the manager of the club and guided them to safety in the league, winning two of his seven matches in charge last season, including a 3-0 hammering of fierce local rivals Newcastle United. He mentioned that when he was given the chance of managing the club and the aim of keeping them in the league, he was happy and thankful because the club gave him a chance to manage in the Premier League.
He stated that he walked into a challenging situation and walked out unscathed but he also stated that he doesn’t hold any grudges against Sunderland and its board members. He also admitted that he is still confident in his abilities and is looking to manage another club in England soon.