final two home games and a heavy 6–1 defeat to Aston Villa, Sunderland secured their Premier League survival when Wigan Athletic were defeated at Arsenal and relegated, trailing then-17th placed Sunderland by four points with only one game to play. For the 2013–14 season, Di Canio was asked to integrate thirteen players signed by Roberto De Fanti and cope with the loss of experienced players such as Simon Mignolet, James McClean and Stéphane Sessègnon. After five league games, Sunderland had gained only a single point, from an away draw with Southampton. Di Canio was dismissed on 22 September 2013, the day after the fifth match of the season, a 3–0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion, and only his 13th match in charge. Sunderland chief executive officer Margaret Byrne stated that Di Canio had been sacked after senior players had approached her and that his situation became untenable due to his "brutal and vitriolic" criticism of the squad. Di Canio denies this. Subsequent managerial links Di Canio was linked with the Celtic job in May 2014, and applied for vacant managerial positions at Bolton Wanderers in October 2014, and Rotherham United in September 2015 and again in February 2016. Political views In 2005, he characterised his political views by declaring that he was "a fascist, not a racist". His use of the Roman salute toward Lazio supporters, a gesture adopted by Italian fascists in the 20th century, has created controversy. Documented uses of the salute include in matches against arch-rivals Roma and Livorno, a club inclined to left-wing politics. Di Canio received a one-match ban after the second event and was fined €7,000. He was later quoted as saying, "I will always salute as I did because it gives me a sense of belonging to my people ... I saluted my people with what for me is a sign of belonging to a group that holds true values, values of civility against the standardisation that this society imposes upon us." His salute has been featured on unofficial merchandise sold outside Stadio Olimpico after the ban. He has also expressed admiration for the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. In his 2001 autobiography Paolo Di Canio: l'Autobiografia (Paolo Di Canio: The Autobiography), published by Libreria dello Sport, he praised Mussolini as "basically a very principled, ethical individual" who was "deeply misunderstood". In 2010, Di Canio attended the funeral of senior fascist Paolo Signorelli, where