Gattuso faces tough UEFA punishment

Former Italian international and current AC Milan captain Gennaro Gattuso could face tough sanctions from European football governing body UEFA for his unprofessional behaviour in the Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspurs on Tuesday.

What had happened? There were two separate instances were Gattuso and Tottenham assistant coach Joe Jordan came close - in the first instance Gattuso shoved Jordan in the throat, before going on to head-butt him after the final whistle.

The Control and Disciplinary Body of UEFA will meet on Monday to review the Gattuso incidence. And as per rules there is a stipulation of a minimum three-match ban for assault, although UEFA have the power to issue lengthier suspensions depending on the individual case.

Meanwhile Gattuso has apologised for his actions and some jokingly said there were two guys who understood each others language well and had a dispute. Gattuso played a year in Scotland for Rangers in the 1990s, while Jordan can speak Italian as a former AC Milan player.

Gattuso said afterwards, "I lost control. There is no excuse for what I did. I take my responsibilities for that." And added, "I was nervous. We were both speaking Scottish, something that I learned when I played in his home city of Glasgow, but I can't tell you what we said."

And trying to defend his client Gattuso's agent Claudio Pasqualin told Italian radio that his client had been called a "fucking Italian bastard" by Jordan. Pasqualin said: "For someone like Rino, who has a strong sense of belonging to Italy, I think this is the most cowardly and unspeakable of insults."

Gattuso is a tough player, but someone who is a nice guy off the field. It will be interesting to see what action UEFA takes on such an incidence.