Gennaro Gattuso - Club Career - Controversies

Controversies

In a UEFA Champions League group stage match against Ajax in September 2003, he was sent off during second-half injury time after slapping Ajax striker Zlatan Ibrahimović in the face with the back of his hand. His temper has caused him further problems when in December 2005, at the final whistle of Milan's 3–2 defeat of Schalke 04 in the UEFA Champions League, Gattuso was seen seeking out and taunting Schalke's midfielder Christian Poulsen as a reaction to Poulsen's fierce marking of Kaká in the first leg. Gattuso insisted though that the press exaggerated the significance of the incident.

On 15 February 2011, during Milan's UEFA Champions League game against Tottenham Hotspur, Gattuso pushed Tottenham coach Joe Jordan away by the throat during an incident on the sideline. Jordan was seen outside his allowed technical area exchanging words with Gattuso, in relation to the relatively physical game that had been played. After the game, after Gattuso had shaken hands with the Tottenham players, video footage shows him confronting Jordan and head-butted him after another exchange of words, before being restrained by both teammates and opponents. "I lost control. There is no excuse for what I did. I take my responsibilities for that," said the 33-year-old Gattuso but also said Jordan provoked him throughout the game but refused to say what his comments were. However, newspapers reported Joe Jordan had been using xenophobic, offensive calls for much of the game by calling Gattuso "fucking Italian" from the sidelines. The following day it was announced that UEFA was looking at additional sanctions or punishment for Gattuso's actions against Jordan the previous day and has been charged with "gross unsporting conduct". Gattuso was then suspended for five UEFA Champions League games. One for yellow card accumulation, the other four were for the incident with Jordan. The Tottenham coach also received a touchline ban by UEFA for his involvement in the exchange.