Source: Daily_Mail
Joe Jordan insulted Gennaro Gattuso as Milan captain faces lengthy ban
Tottenham first-team coach Joe Jordan has been accused of insulting AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso in the 'most cowardly and unspeakable terms' at the San Siro on Tuesday night. Gattuso grabbed Jordan by the throat after Mathieu Flamini's dreadful challenge on Vedran Corluka and then butted the 59-year-old after Spurs had sealed a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash. Gattuso's agent Claudio Pasqualin said: 'What seems clear is that my client was severely provoked by Joe Jordan. Jordan, after continually provoking him, insulted him with a an insult of the lowest kind that reads, "F****** Italian b******". No push over: Gattuso lashes out at Jordan, actions which have landed him in hot water with UEFA'For someone like Rino (Gattuso), who has a strong sense of belonging to Italy, I believe this is the most cowardly and unspeakable of insults.' Gattuso, who will miss the second leg at White Hart Lane on March 9 after receiving a yellow card for a tackle on Steven Pienaar, was antagonistic all evening, pushing Tottenham goalscorer Peter Crouch in the chest and then heading for the away dug-out at the final whistle. After shaking hands with Spurs bossHarry Redknapp, the 33-year-old - a 2006 World Cup winner who has wonthe Champions League twice with Milan - walked towards Jordan andbutted the Scot. Butt out of it: Gattuso loses his head at the end of the matchRedknapp told talkSPORT: 'When he (Gattuso) came over at the end of the game, I thought he was going to apologise to Joe. Next thing I know he's nutted Joe. Not that it had much effect on him, all those balls he's headed over the years! 'Joe's the loveliest guy you could ever wish to meet. I don't know what happened with Gattuso - he lost his head over something.' The quarrels continued as the two sides made their way down the tunnel. Sportsmail understands former Spurs player Kevin-Prince Boateng attempted to pacify his Milan teammate, but Alessandro Nesta accused Tottenham of trying to get Gattuso suspended for the return leg. A source heard Nesta say: 'You have to stop Rino, don't you?' Gattuso is no stranger to confrontation. Known as 'Ringhio' ('The Growl'), he was sent off in a Champions League match against Ajax in 2003 for slapping Zlatan Ibrahimovic, now his Milan teammate, with the back of his hand. He also excessively taunted Schalke midfielder Christian Poulsen, now of Liverpool, after Milan were knocked out of the competition in 2005, and argued with team-mate Alexandre Pato because he felt the striker was wasteful against Lecce in January. After receiving reports from French referee Stephane Lannoy and their official match delegate yesterday, UEFA confirmed they will investigate Gattuso's behaviour at a meeting of their disciplinary body on Monday. Ruled out: A foul on Steven Pienaar earned Gattuso a yellow card and a ban for the second legThe Italian looks set to receive a lengthy ban. But UEFA have confirmed they will not take retrospective action against Flamini because the Frenchman had already received a yellow card for his high, two-footed tackle on Corluka. Corluka, 25, had a scan on his right ankle yesterday and will see a specialist today to determine the full extent of his injury. But a source said: 'There's certainly been some damage done.' The verdicts on Spurs' memorable night in Milan from Crouch, Gomes and Dawson Jordan accused of 'cowardly' four-letter insult as Gattuso faces lengthy banMartin Samuel: Mathieu Flamini's assault brings shame on the Champions League and spineless UEFA will likely let him offAll the latest Tottenham news, features and opinion Explore more:People: Peter Crouch, Alexandre Pato, Christian Poulsen Places: Milan, Liverpool, Italy