My brother and I got to chatting about this last night (possibly inspired by the Hitler vs. Franco thread title), attempting to select a first XI (plus a manager) of the most right-wing players in football's illustrious history. It's proving to be more difficult than I anticipated so I think it's best that the question be opened to the wisened individuals perusing this forum.

Owing to the fact that you're unlikely to find eleven players in the world who have read Mein Kampf and boast swastika tattoos on their nether regions, I've stretched the definition of right-wing to accomodate any sort of thuggish, racist, violent behaviour (on or off the pitch of course) or any suspect political or religious views and/or statements. The formation is flexible - if you can suggest five supremely right-wing defenders then the formation can be happily reconfigured to 5-3-2, for example. Think of it as Championship Manager (BNP Edition).

You can nominate a player but you have to provide an explanation for his inclusion. I'll get the obvious ones out of the way first. Have fun ;-)

Goalkeeper: Andy Goram
Wore a black armband in an Old Firm game as a tribute to the death of notorious loyalist terrorist Billy Wright.

Forward: Paolo Di Canio
Where to start? Gave a fascist salute to Livorno fans during a Lazio game, has Latin for "Duce" tattooed on his arm and has links to far-right ultras. That and he bears a distinguishing characteristic common to all fascists; he's an idiot. His explanation for his salute is, "I'm a fascist, not a racist. The salute is aimed at my people. With the straight arm I don't want to incite violence and certainly not racial hatred."

Left Midfielder: Lee Bowyer
Tiptoeing around the whole bashing-an-Asian-student's-head-in "incident", Bowyer gave employees and customers of a McDonalds outlet in London an early indication of his sophisticated views on race when, after an Asian clerk got his order wrong, shouted, "If you don't get me a white person to speak to right now, I'm gonna smash your fucking face!" before embarking on that other celebrated activity of far-right football supporters - he started chucking chairs about the place. He was fined £4500.

Over to you...

Buffon beats Goram in goal

Manager: Ron Atkinson or Luis Aragones.

ad hoqito wrote:

QUOTE:
Buffon beats Goram in goal

Ah, but you have to give reasons. What's Buffon done?

My fave Lee Bowyer moment was when he ditched his fiance after he discovered she was 1/16th Indian. He told her he was afraid they would have a 'throwback baby'.

Arshavin is a United Russia politician, but might be given the benefit of the doubt given his probable options ('join us or we kneecap you').

Sinisa Mihailovic.

Buffon wore a squad number which translates as 'Heil Hitler' if you want it to.

The Purple Cow wrote:

QUOTE:
My fave Lee Bowyer moment was when he ditched his fiance after he discovered she was 1/16th Indian. He told her he was afraid they would have a 'throwback baby'.

Did he just think her nan had been on a really good holiday? Or something?

ad hoqito wrote:

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Here you go

I see. Buffon in goals, Goram on the bench maybe?

evilC wrote:

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Sinisa Mihailovic.

Yes, worthy of inclusion. On a somewhat related note, this piece in the Guardian is a fascinating read on Mihailovic

QUOTE:
In 1997, Mr. Palombo recalled, players on the Italian national team, in Poland for a match, refused to join members of the Italian soccer federation on a visit to Auschwitz. When a reporter, Giuseppe Toti of Corriere della Sera, wrote the story, he said, he was threatened by a member of the national team. The embarrassment has left few positive traces.

How terrible it would be for football and politics to somehow get mixed up.

They discussed this on the Guardian podcast the other week. James Richardson reckoned that Buffon's defence of not knowing the fascist significance of "88", sort-of holds water if you meet the man.

Maybe I'm naive but Bufon just comes over as having the I.Q. of a chicken rather than being a fascist.

Charlie Nicholas up front of course.

CarnivorousVulgaris wrote:

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evilC wrote:

QUOTE:
Sinisa Mihailovic.

Yes, worthy of inclusion. On a somewhat related note, this piece in the Guardian is a fascinating read on Mihailovic

Yeah, I read that when I was looking for links for Mihailovic. A nasty scene, all round - nationalists against nationalists. It all just goes to prove that nationalism - of any sort - is bad, IMO. No-one should be let off the hook for it, whatever, though.