Di Canio Hire Stirs Controversy at Sunderland On the Lede blog, Rob Mackey has written about the controversy stirred up by Sunderland's hiring of Paolo Di Canio as manager. The Premier League club, owned by the American private equity executive Ellis Short, is defending its hiring Di Canio, an Italian known for giving facist salutes to fans during his playing days. But at least one Sunderland director has already quit to protest the move, and a trade union has joined the chorus of fans denouncing Di Canio's hiring.