Guy Debord wrote:While on a boating trip on August 4, 1938, Mussolini talked about the German dictator's new anti-Semitic laws with his mistress, saying "I've been racist since 1921," according to AFP.
"I don't know how they can think that I'm imitating Hitler, he wasn't born yet..." he was quoted as saying. "We must give Italians a feeling of race so that they don't create half-castes, so that they don't spoil what is beautiful about us."
Two months later, on October 11, Mussolini is again at sea with Petacci, when he was quoted as saying: "Those bloody Jews, they should be destroyed ... I'll build an island and put them all there..."
http://www.haaretz.com/news/mussolini-i ... ere-1.4059
If this was Fighting Talk, there would be the sound of Windows starting in the background. Not being racist, but no one outside England will understand that.
By modem standards, Mussolini was pretty nasty. As was British imperialism and the American treatment of blacks until the 1950s. It's a little hard to look back on any one from those sorts of times and them come out of it well. However, I'd suggest tattooing your admiration for one of them on your arm wasn't a good idea.
Back to the original point, sort of, I'm not sure do canio's views would make him racist or impact on him buying, playing or treating black players. He may have some 'different' views on balotelli though! In fact, when they interviewed him for the radio 5 programme on Mario, he was very harsh on him. How relevant his views on a black Italian are hadn't occurred to me at the time.