AC Milan midfielder Gennaro
Gattuso has apologised for
headbutting Tottenham assistant
manager Joe Jordan after Spurs'
1-0 Champions League first leg
win at the San Siro.
- AC Milan 0-1 Tottenham
- Redknapp: Flamini tackle a
disgrace
- Allegri: Tie still wide open
Gattuso lost his cool on a number
of occasions and was lucky to
stay on the pitch although the
yellow card he did pick up rules
him out of the Champions League
round of 16 second leg tie at
White Hart Lane.
Gattuso clashed with Jordan near
the touchline during the second
half, grabbing the Scottish former
Milan player by the throat as
they argued. After the final
whistle, Gattuso confronted
Jordan again and aimed a
headbutt into the former
striker's face before being
dragged away.
It was a disgraceful end to a
frustrating night for Gattuso. He
had punched the ground furiously
when he received the yellow he
knew would come with a
suspension and he also escaped
punishment for an off-the-ball
clash with Tottenham goal-scorer
Peter Crouch.
UEFA is certain to investigate the
incident and Gattuso said he will
accept whatever punishment he
receives. But Jordan also
appeared to play his part in the
feud with Gattuso, visibly calling
out at the hard-tackling
midfielder during both
confrontations. Gattuso confirmed
that Jordan was "breaking my
balls" but he took full
responsibility for his actions and
admitted he lost control.
"I lost my head and I'm taking
responsibility because I did
something I shouldn't have done,"
Gattuso said. "Jordan was
breaking my balls throughout the
second half but that doesn't
justify my reaction. I was annoyed
about the words I'd exchanged
with Jordan. We were both
speaking Scottish given that I
played in his country in Glasgow
but I'm not going to say what
was said. I made a mistake doing
what I did to an older person,
and that's it. I'll wait and see
what (UEFA) decides."
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri
said he expected Gattuso to
come in for scrutiny: "At the end
of the game it was an unpleasant
episode, there was a bit of
nervousness, I don't know why it
happened. I didn't like this
episode, it's not nice to see, of
course it will be looked at (by
UEFA), there was certainly a
reason that he behaved this way
but you can't excuse it."
The ill-tempered match was
marred by a horror tackle by
Mathieu Flamini that saw Vedran
Corluka leave the stadium on
crutches. Flamini only received a
yellow card for his launching two-
footed effort, a fact that
angered Tottenham boss Harry
Redknapp. Flamini apologised to
Corluka in the dressing rooms
after the match and the Spurs
right-back will get X-rays on
Wednesday.
Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati
will also go in for scans on
Wednesday after being taken off
with concussion in the first half. In
just another incident during an
eventful match, his replacement
Marco Amelia pushed forward in
the final moments as Milan tried
desperately to equalise from a
corner despite the fact this was
only the first of two legs. The
risky move hinted at desperation
by the hosts and Redknapp said
Gattuso's actions showed his
opponents had collectively lost
their way.
"They lost their heads at the end
there - they were rattled for
sure - and I guess that's a good
sign," he said.
December 23, 2009, 08:04:35 AM