• Champions League

AC Milan leap to Gattuso's defence

ESPN staff
February 17, 2011
Gennaro Gattuso clashed with Joe Jordan on two separate occasion © PA Photos
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AC Milan managing director Adriano Galliani has moved to cool the storm surrounding Gennaro Gattuso, insisting that he will not be stripped of the vice-captaincy.

Gattuso has been charged with gross unsporting conduct by UEFA following a string of unsavoury incidents during AC Milan's 1-0 Champions League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday.

The Italy international clashed with Spurs assistant Joe Jordan on two separate occasions, grabbing him by the throat and then aiming a headbutt, while he also picked up a caution that will rule him out of the second leg at White Hart Lane.

Gattuso has subsequently apologised for his actions, admitting that he lost his cool under pressure, and his agent has claimed that he was the subject of verbal provocation from Jordan, who had a spell at AC Milan in his playing days.

Now Galliani has offered the 33-year-old a further boost by leaping to his defence. "What he did was an unpleasant episode that was not good, but he was heavily provoked," Galliani said.

"Of course you should not react like that but do not condemn everything. Gattuso has played 104 games in Europe and has been sent off once, in 2003 after a clash with [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, who is now his team-mate.

"In 25 years, since [Silvio] Berlusconi became president of the company, Milan's conduct has been exemplary."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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