Sunderland football club issued a statement today regarding the appointment of Paolo Di Canio as manager which they said was in response to "comments made by certain sections of the media and other individuals since his appointment was announced yesterday".
In it, Di Canio refutes any suggestions of him being racist, employing the classic 'some of my best friends are black' defence.
“I don’t have a problem with anyone. I haven’t had a problem in the past and I don’t know why I have to keep repeating my story, to be defending myself on something that doesn’t belong to me every time I change clubs. Talk about racism? That is absolutely stupid, stupid and ridiculous. The people who know me can change that idea quickly. When I was in England my best friends were Trevor Sinclair and Chris Powell, the Charlton manager – they can tell you everything about my character."
Never ones to turn down the opportunity of an open goal or a Father Ted related GIF, we thought the above just had to be created.