PAOLO DI CANIO is the new poster boy for the far right in Italy. His straight-arm salute after scoring for Lazio in the Rome derby has led to an outbreak of anti-Jewish graffiti in the capital and fascist banners at football grounds. Clearly, his long-standing and welldocumented admiration for Benito Mussolini, the fascist leader, makes him the logical choice for football’s new generation of black shirts. After all, Paolo and the Lazio-supporting Benito have so much in common.

Like Di Canio, Mussolini was a preening, self-obsessed bully and the consequences of his ultimately disastrous actions outweighed even his greatest achievements. Neither had much appetite for a real battle, preferring to let others fight for them, while both had strong personalities that attracted misguided devotion among followers.

Mussolini was such a ham that he stage-managed the famous march on Rome, leaving the capital and returning once camera crews were in place to record the triumphant arrival of his fascists. Di Canio likes to give big speeches about loyalty and professionalism, while ducking the difficult games and talking up the achievements of the team as if they were his alone.

In 1935, Mussolini created the Italian empire by using poison gas to subdue the underdeveloped nation of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). Fittingly, when the equally brave Di Canio played for West Ham United, he took part in four consecutive league matches away to Everton, right up until the season when they were fourth in the table, when he pulled out of the squad.

Mussolini declared war on France in June 1940, Germany having invaded in September 1939. Italy was so late getting involved that France had already surrendered before its army could engage in battle.

Meanwhile, Di Canio did not play in West Ham’s three matches away to Leeds United when the team were a force in the Premiership, yet he turned up in his fourth season once the exodus had begun from Elland Road.

The sole invasion attempted by Mussolini during the Second World War was of Greece. The Italian army was so badly defeated that Germany had to divert troops to help. Digressing slightly, over five seasons at West Ham, Di Canio played one league match away to Manchester United, one away to Arsenal and none away to Newcastle United.

By July 1943, Italy had lost all of its African colonies and most of its army. When the Allies invaded, it tried to switch sides. Fifty years later, Di Canio left his great love, Lazio, to join Juventus at the peak of his career. Now he has returned at the tail end, he seeks to evoke the club’s fascist past. What a charmer. Football can only hope that along the Via del Corso there is a lamppost with his name on it.

• E-mail Martin Samuel at aogy90@dial.pipex.com