Gigi De Canio has explained why he benched Lecce defender Souleymane Diamoutene after last week's clash with fans.

Diamoutene was left out of the starting line-up for their clash with Genoa after ultras demanded he be dropped for playing last season with Bari.

"In Udine in the Coppa Italia the defender also played with the captain's armband, but his performance didn't satisfy me," De Canio argued.

"Having got back Ferrario, Gustavo and also Rispoli, I preferred to leave him out.

"I am sorry about what happened on a human level, but I must only think about the good of the team."