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It was the last time Tottenham faced AC Milan at the San Siro, and a night that saw Italian rage take on Scottish granite.
February 15, 2011. A Champions League tie decided by Peter Crouch’s winning goal, but remembered more for Gennaro Gattuso’s furious row with Joe Jordan.
Twelve years later, Jordan still exudes the same quiet calm he displayed that night in Milan as he reflects on the incident.
Given that Gattuso’s wife, Monica, is from Glasgow, the fiery Italian probably should have thought better of taking on Jordan not once, but twice.
First, he shoved the Spurs manager in the throat as the two men clashed on the touchline. Then, after a wild-eyed Gattuso removed his shirt and Jordan removed his glasses after the final whistle, the two men tried again as he headbutted the Scotsman.
Tottenham’s last game against AC Milan is best remembered for a clash between Joe Jordan and Gennaro Gattuso.
Typically, Jordan stood his ground but didn’t retaliate. He didn’t have to. “He had gone crazy and I was there to confront him,” says Jordan, now 71.
He lost discipline. It wasn’t just that they booked him, it was the fact that he couldn’t play the second game, that put him out. Why he chose me, I don’t know. He was standing next to Harry Redknapp and he lost control.
“I would never back down, there is no chance, but I was not going to react. No way. I’m not lilywhite or anything, but I’m not dumb.
I am quite disciplined. Even in my playing days, I didn’t get sent off much. I wouldn’t be stupid.
‘When the Gattuso thing happened, as a coach I had a responsibility. You can not do that. You would lose your job, you would lose respect. You can’t put your club in that position.
Jordan insists that the header did not make contact. ‘No. He was still screaming. They removed.
‘Afterwards, my old teammate Mauro Tassotti, who was the assistant coach, came over and spoke to me. He didn’t apologize, but what happened wasn’t right.
Jordan was familiar with the Italian passion for soccer and Milan in particular. He moved to the San Siro from Manchester United in 1981, where he spent two seasons and one at Verona.
Jordan recalls AC Milan midfielder ‘lost his mind’ after Tottenham win at San Siro
“One foreign player per club and they chose me,” he said. ‘You go there from Old Trafford and the San Siro was 80,000.
‘The difference in Italy was that when you were at the club, your time was theirs and rightly so. I would have one day off a week and that would definitely be it.
Jordan has fond memories of taking his family on day trips to Lake Como, St. Moritz, and Lake Garda.
His daughter Caroline now lives in Milan and Jordan is a regular visitor these days to see his family there.
Earlier this season, he took his grandson Samuel to see Milan play Monza at the San Siro. “Milan was brilliant,” says Jordan. They got us four tickets, the best tickets.
A few years after their clash, when Gattuso was Milan manager for 18 months and heard that Jordan was back at the San Siro, he invited the Scotsman down to the locker room.
Gattuso reconciled with the former Spurs coach years after the incident and even gave him a Milan shirt
“They said someone wanted to meet me,” says Jordan. ‘I went there and we had some words after the game. He gave me a Milan shirt, Leonardo Bonucci’s, just as a gesture. I still have it at home.
Jordan believes the Gattuso incident is the reason he is still recognized on his trips to Italy these days.
“There used to be a Joe Jordan fan club, but the only way they can remember me now is because of the Gattuso incident,” he says.
‘The reaction is always good. I went to Capri and took the ferry from Napoli. The guy selling tickets pointed to me and said, “Joe Jordan!”