FORMER Tottenham assistant manager Joe Jordan will be delighted that Gennaro Gattuso will not be taking charge of the club.
The AC Milan legend, 43, held talks with Spurs over the vacant managerial position after negotiations to bring Paulo Fonseca to North London broke down.
But the ex-Napoli gaffer is now out of the running after a fiery fan backlash with #NoToGattuso trending on Twitter in the UK on Thursday night.
Many fans were understood to be upset by alleged past comments by Gattuso on women in football, same-sex marriage and racism.
News of the U-turn will likely amuse Jordan, who was involved in a heated exchange with the Italian in 2011 during his time at Tottenham.
The 69-year-old was throttled by Gattuso at the San Siro during a fiery Champions League tie where Spurs won 1-0 thanks to Peter Crouch’s goal.
Tempers flared during the second half, with both Gattuso and Jordan staring each other down before he grabbed the Scotsman’s neck.
And following the full-time whistle, Gattuso headbutted the ex-Manchester United forward, who spent two years as a player with Milan.
He was subsequently banned for four games by Uefa, with the ex-Rangers man acknowledging he was in the wrong.
Speaking immediately after the clash, he said: “I lost my head, I did things I should not have done and I take responsibility for that.
⚽ ENGLAND vs SCOTLAND BETTING SPECIAL ⚽
“Jordan busted my balls for the whole second half, but I should not have reacted like this. I apologise, and if a ban arrives I will accept it.”
Commenting on the incident, Jordan remarked: “I just happened to be there. Whether he knew me or not I don’t know. I don’t think it would have mattered to him.
“He’d lost it during the game, got booked and couldn’t play at White Hart Lane. And then he lost it in my area.
“He was the captain and you’ve got to be disciplined. I’ve lost it a few times. Not that many.”
“I very rarely got sent off. I wasn’t going to move, put it that way. Definitely not.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
