I could not believe what I was seeing as Gennaro Gattuso squared up to Joe Jordan in Milan on Tuesday. The AC Milan captain was raging throughout the game and had already had one altercation with Tottenham Hotspur's first-team coach.
After it, he butted Jordan. Gattuso was out of order - and that is why he apologised, but the reaction intrigued me. Jordan was cast as the innocent in it all, the wise old coach who did nothing wrong. I am not having it.
Gattuso said that Jordan was trying to wind him up from the sideline throughout the game. It all sounds a bit pantomime Italian. Jordan played in Milan and will have known what to say to upset him.
That's Jordan; he comes loudly to life whenever the referee makes a bad decision or there is a fracas on the pitch. No disrespect, but Jordan's had his time and whatever happens on the pitch is between the players and it is up to them to sort it out.
And if they don't sort it out then that's why we have officials, five of them in Champions League games.
Jordan may have had a reputation for being a hard man in Britain, but do you think that would have bothered Gattuso?
Jordan's style was formed when he played in the 1970s and 80s. He might have been called "Jaws" then and looked the part with two front teeth missing as he played up front for big clubs such as Leeds United and Manchester United, but those days are over.
It made me laugh to see British television analysts like my old manager Graeme Souness saying that if the pair were left alone in a room, then Jordan would sort him out. Nonsense.
Souness is from the same outmoded stock as Jordan. Look at the facts.
Gattuso is an ultra fit 33-year-old athlete who can more than look after himself. Jordan is 60 this year and wears glasses. It would not even be fair to let them fight.
Jordan is an old school ranter. I worked with him at Portsmouth, where he was Harry Redknapp's henchman. If Redknapp wanted to deliver bad news, then he got Jordan to do it. He took him to Tottenham for the same reason.
Redknapp asked Jordan to tell me to play in a reserve game one day. I was 35 and was trying to get my fitness back. I was training well. Playing in a reserve game with the kids would not have helped me one bit. We had a slanging match but I stood up to him. We never exchanged words again after that day.
Football has moved on. Do you see Mike Phelan, the Manchester United assistant manager, losing his temper on the touchline? Do you even know the name of Barcelona or Real Madrid's assistant manager? No, because they do their job properly, keeping a low profile as they work effectively with players.
They do not stand snarling on the line. But, then again, if Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, wants to bawl someone out, he is more than capable of doing it himself, in private.
I have seen players lose it before, most famously my teammate Eric Cantona when he did his kung-fu kick at Crystal Palace in 1995. I had only joined United weeks earlier and could not quite believe what I was seeing.
There had been a few other incidents in my first weeks at United. Roy Keane and Gary Pallister had a set-to on a midseason break. They would not speak for years after.
But Cantona topped it all when he jumped into the crowd to attack a man in a bad leather jacket who had been giving him abuse.
I caught it out the corner of my eye and thought, "What on earth is going on here?" I was supposed to be gelling with my new partner up front, but there was little chance of that as he was sent off and then started fighting with a fan, and was subsequently banned for eight months.
I was in two minds about whether he had done the right thing. Everyone is different and reacts in different ways when provoked. We have all had abuse from the crowd and sometimes have to ignore it. Cantona didn't and his only regret is that he didn't hit his tormentor harder. The man had the shock of his life.
Maybe it would have been better if Cantona would have arranged to meet him outside after the game, well away from the cameras. Cantona would have done to him what Gattuso would have done to Jordan.
But Cantona was acting on impulse and there was no way that anyone could reason with him, a bit like Gattuso.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
MO
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
Ten10 Cricket League
Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17
Teams
Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan
Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad
Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider
Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider
Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah
Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Fixture and table
UAE finals day: Friday, April 13 at Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
- 3pm, UAE Conference: Dubai Tigers v Sharjah Wanderers
- 6.30pm, UAE Premiership: Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership – final standings
- Dubai Exiles
- Abu Dhabi Harlequins
- Jebel Ali Dragons
- Dubai Hurricanes
- Dubai Sports City Eagles
- Abu Dhabi Saracens
SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreated%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJesse%20Armstrong%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brian%20Cox%2C%20Jeremy%20Strong%2C%20Kieran%20Culkin%2C%20Sarah%20Snook%2C%20Nicholas%20Braun%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
MATCH INFO
France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
Italy 1
Bonucci (36')
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
