Former Swindon Town manager Paolo Di Canio has come under fire after an old picture of him performing a 'Nazi salute' went viral.

Di Canio was known for being a hard taskmaster with Swindon Town, winning League Two in 2011/12.

The controversial former Premier League striker spent 21 months in charge during one of their most successful spells on the pitch and their most dramatic off it.

From a physical altercation with his own striker, Leon Clarke, to post-match rants, Di Canio stole the headlines.

It has been a trait of his that has followed him for his whole career as a player, a manager and now, seemingly, as a pundit.

Last weekend Di Canio criticized AC Milan star Rafael Leão and teammate Theo Hernandez for their conduct during their most recent game.

The two players stayed on the pitch instead of joining the rest of the team in the cooldown break, Di Canio deemed it 'disgraceful'.

In response, Leão took to X, formerly known as Twitter to post a picture with no caption.

It was of Di Canio performing a fascist salute in 2005 towards Lazio fans. After receiving a ban, Di Canio claimed: “I am a fascist, not a racist”.

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"I have never been racist"

Speaking to the Corriere della Sera in 2017, the former West Ham United player insisted he had “regrets” over the fascist salute pictured here after a Rome derby and the ‘Dux’ tattoo, which references WWII Fascist Italian leader Benito Mussolini.

It is illegal in Italy to defend fascism, and so Di Canio’s tattoo – which is usually covered up by a long-sleeve shirt when he presents – drew a slew of complaints.

“It is what I regret the most. I carry with me the symbols of what I was and what I did, including my errors, but I have never been racist.”

In his autobiography, Di Canio described Mussolini as “basically a very principled, ethical individual” and claimed that the former dictator – who allied with Nazi Germany during World War II – was “deeply misunderstood”.