I will tell my players to dive, says Di Canio

Paolo Di Canio has said he will tell his Swindon Town players to dive if they have to in order to win penalties.

His comments followed Swindon’s 2-0 defeat against Macclesfield, in which Matt Ritchie was denied a penalty kick after trying to stay on his feet following a challenge from Macclesfield goalkeeper Jose Veiga.

“From now on I will tell my players to dive,” Di Canio told BBC Sport. “From now on I will bring in a different culture because this was a red card and penalty.”

“I’d prefer that they risk getting a yellow card for simulation. My team are the only ones who do not dive somewhere around the field.”

“It’s not fair but it’s the only way to receive something.”

“He (Ritchie) was too honest but it wasn’t malicious – he (Veiga) had no intentions. You can’t stay on your feet just because you want to be honest.”

Di Canio also criticised his players’ desire following a poor start to their League Two season which has seen the promotion hopefuls sit in mid-table.

“We are not a nasty team. And this is what makes me not very happy sometimes because we don’t have a nasty player,” Di Canio said.

“I don’t know how much I can improve my team in this way.”

“With some players, if he has a chihuahua character I can’t make a chihuahua into a rottweiler. He could be a proud chihuahua but he remains a chihuahua.”

“So many of the players at the moment are chihuahuas away from home – this is the truth.”

Di Canio has already made headlines in his short managerial career after arguing with Leon Clarke on the pitch and promptly loaning him out amid reports that he would never play the striker.