David Miliband quits Sunderland over Di Canio

FORMER MP David Miliband has resigned from the board of Sunderland FC following the appointment of former Celtic star Paolo Di Canio as their new manager, due to the Italian’s “past political statements”.

Di Canio, 44, who has previously claimed to be “a facist, not a racist” and has been marked for his outbursts against players, led the former foreign secretary to step down from his posts as vice-chairman and non-executive director at the English Premier League club.

Mr Miliband wished the club success, adding: “It is a great institution that does a huge amount for the North-east.”

Di Canio was pictured in 2005 making a raised-arm salute to a group of supporters of Italian club Lazio, where he was playing. He was given a one-match ban and fined £7,000 for the incident.

When he played for Sheffield Wednesday in 1998, he pushed a referee to the ground after being sent off and was banned for 11 matches.

His sole managerial experience came during a tumultuous 18-month stint at Swindon, which was highlighted by helping the club to promotion back to League One last season.

Di Canio takes over at Sunderland from former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill, who was sacked after eight games without a win.

In a statement released on his website, Mr Miliband said: “I wish the team very well over the next vital seven games.

“However, in the light of the new manager’s past political statements, I think it right to step down.”