Football Blog.

Paolo Di Canio is a football manager. He was, wasn’t, is, isn’t or is lying about being or not being a fascist. There’s a simple test; just ask. A true fascist would never say he was one. He did so he isn’t. Then again he’s a football manager so a certain parochial fascistic tendency is de rigueur. Ask Alex Ferguson, he’d never say he was one. Fascism has been described as "a genus of political ideology whose mythic core in its various permutations is a palingenetic form of populist ultranationalism." Couldn’t put it better myself. Not good for Germany or Jews or currently North Korea as a form of national politics with guns and stuff but for eleven men and only a ball to inflict damage it has a certain appeal. But to proclaim oneself a fascist is the ultimate in naivety. Either one is intent on grabbing the political power of a nation for oneself, in which case telling everybody beforehand would be shooting oneself in the foot, or one is a follower of a fascist leader which is telling everybody I’m a stupid mindless moron. Far better, like Hitler and Boris Johnson, to act the incompetent fool who no one takes seriously until they feel a stabbing pain in their back. I’d imagine Di Canio is neither he just likes the idea of being in ultimate control of a team of lads playing football. I doubt he has secret intentions to invade Newcastle, except to perhaps grab Papiss Cisse in the summer transfer window. Fascism like racism and cannibalism is a black word, an anti that we can all agree on and that bonding ‘against’ someone or group is itself fascistic. Better to think; one’s brain isn’t in the jerking of one’s knees.