Sky Sport Italia has suspended its relationship with the former West Ham and Lazio striker Paolo Di Canio after he presented a show revealing his “dux” tattoo. The 48-year-old has been working as a pundit on the television station in Italy and appeared in a short-sleeved shirt showing his tattoo which represents the former Fascist leader Benito Mussolini. After a raft of complaints from viewers, threatening to withdraw subscriptions, the channel decided to take action.

Jacques Raynaud, executive vice president of sports channels and advertising sales at Sky Italia said: “We made a mistake. We apologise to all those we have offended the sensibilities. After talking at length with Di Canio, despite his professionalism and football expertise, together we decided to suspend his collaboration.”

Di Canio has attracted controversy ever since 2005 when he twice gave straight-arm salute to fans of Lazio and told the Italian news agency Ansa: “I am a fascist, not a racist.”

Paolo Di Canio salutes towards Lazio fans in 2005 Photograph: Paolo Cocco/AFP/Getty Images

In 2013, David Miliband resigned from the board of Sunderland in protest when Di Canio became their manager and prior to that the GMB trade union also cited his political views when it withdrew its sponsorship of Swindon Town after he was appointed their manager in 2011.

In his autobiography, he wrote of the Italian dictator Mussolini: “His actions were often vile. But all this was motivated by a higher purpose. He was basically a very principled individual.”