I pushed referee to land one of football’s longest bans but Arsenal legend threw elbow into my head to spark shameful scene
Paolo Di Canio has admitted the Football Association were right to give him an 11-game ban for pushing referee Paul Alcock to the floor.
However, he also believes the official handled the situation poorly, with the Italian earlier receiving an elbow to the face from Arsenal defender Martin Keown.
During the 1998/99 season, Di Canio starred for Sheffield Wednesday but was also at the centre of one of the Premier League's wildest moments.
Arsenal made the visit to Hillsborough in September 1998 and on the stroke of half-time Patrick Vieira was tackled by Wim Jonk, with the former pushing over the latter in response.
Di Canio ran up to defend his teammate by shoving the Gunners star and Keown was quick to intervene, although his elbow caught the head of the striker, who kicked out and grabbed the defender's face.
Referee Alcock showed him a red card but Di Canio pushed him to the ground in anger and was subsequently banned for 11 games.
Speaking on Up Front with talkSPORT host Simon Jordan with William Hill, Di Canio realises why he was given such a lengthy suspension.
“I think the ban I received was right," he said. «Thinking as a footballer, I would be selfish and say it was too much and it should have only been a three-match ban, but I have to think as a sportsman and I think it was the right message to send.
»It sent a message to others to say that you simply cannot act like that. If they had given me three matches that would have been comparing what I did to a bad challenge, it wouldn’t have sent a real message.
“I would have the matches that I got suspended for in favour of a bigger fine and I tried to ask for that. I asked the FA to take out five or six of the matches from my suspension and fine me more but they stuck to it
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