Sunderland owner Ellis Short said he would ‘appoint the devil’ if it meant the club staying in the Premier League following the arrival of former Hammer Paolo Di Canio, a court has heard this week.
It is alleged that chief executive Margaret Byrne said she would tell the Durham Miners’ Association ‘where to stick their banner’ after they asked for it to be returned from the Stadium of Light in protest at the appointment of former Hammer Di Canio, who had previously described himself as a ‘fascist’.
And it was revealed that Mr Short and Ms Byrne met with Di Canio in the month before Martin O’Neill’s sacking in March, 2013. Ms Byrne alleges that O’Neill had failed to show up for training ‘all week’ prior to his dismissal.
Ms Byrne, who denies the allegations against her, was giving evidence on behalf of the club at the High Court in Liverpool after their former marketing director, Michael Farnan, brought a civil claim of wrongful dismissal and loss of earnings totalling more than £1million after he was sacked for alleged ‘gross misconduct’ in May, 2013.
The Durham Miners’ Association spoke out against Di Canio’s appointment because of his far-right political views. They asked for their iconic banner – ‘a symbol of their support, affinity and association with the club’ – to be removed from the Stadium of Light, built on the former site of the Wearmouth Colliery. At the time, Dave Hooper, head of the miners’ union, said: ‘The appointment of Di Canio is a disgrace and a betrayal of all who fought and died in the fight against fascism. Everyone must speak out and oppose this outrage and call on Ellis Short and the Sunderland board to reverse their decision.’
Two months Ellis Short appointed former Hammers manager Sam Allardyce on a two year contract in a bid to save him from relegation.
Where good enttraining football is concerned they have appointed the devil,
Well at least we are well rid of those days,back to being a hammer entertained but never know if we are going to win or loose,
The good old days