So if you’ve been following the news at all recently you’ll know that Gennaro (Gattuso) has been up to his old tricks. We all know that it’s only a matter of time before Rino finds another victim to target; despite the most esteemed and respected of sources Carlo Ancelotti ensuring to the press that it was “out of character”.
Carlo Ancelotti leapt to the defence of Gennaro Gattuso following the AC Milan midfielder’s headbutt on Tottenham coach Joe Jordan.
[...]
Ancelotti acknowledged his fellow Italian had made a mistake but also insisted the attack on Jordan was completely out of character, saying: “I was obviously not happy because Gattuso is a very generous player, a very good man.”
From the UK press association here.
The section from this quote that interested us the most was “completely out of character”. It’s not difficult to recall a time or two when Gattuso has been a bit of a fire-cracker with regards to sportsmanship in the game. With a quick quote from his reportedly unblemished history we can tie together a couple of examples (thanks to his Wiki page):
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 Ibrahimovi? 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[6] 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.
“To judge Gattuso as a man because he made a mistake is not good” says Ancelotti; “I can say it because I know him very well.”. From the bottom of my heart Carlo; shut your face.
There was a big hoo haa about what would happen next with the Italian thug, with many suggesting that he should see jail time for assault, but in the end he’s gotten away with a 4 match ban. He’d already picked up a yellow for splattering Pienaar, so the overall result seems pretty tame.
According to theglobeandmail he’s been told to sit out the next match-up against Tottenham to avoid putting himself in the firing line. Wise advice I’d say. I’d like to think any sports injury claims he might put in would get chucked out without a second thought. “Sport” the call it, this football game. There are massive question marks over the attitude of sportsmen that are getting paid more than the revenue of certain small countries. Time in the limelight and idolisation can only be worsened by a hefty wage – I reckon it’s only a matter of time before we see something pretty damn dramatic happen on the turf. Nightmare scenario.
