Former manager of Napoli, Gennaro Gattuso has continued to suffer for a comment he made earlier in his career which made many believe that he is a racist.
Between 1999 and 2012, Gennaro Gattuso was playing for AC Milan. During a Champions League game, the 44-year-old Italian tactician had a touchline spat with Joe Jordan which was believed to be racist comments.
The past came back to haunt him when Tottenham Hotspur tried to appoint him as the head coach of the Premier League club ahead of the 2021-2022 season.
During the period, the hashtag #notoGattuso trended on Twitter due to the alleged racist comments he made during his days as a footballer.
After a series of back and forth, Tottenham Hotspur decided to cancel their plan to sign him. The Premier League club decided to appoint Nuno Espirito Santo instead of the Italian club.
After that, Gennaro Gattuso was appointed as the football manager of Fiorentina but left the club a few days after because he could not agree with the club’s transfer policy.
Hence, throughout the 2021-2022 season, the Italian football legend and former AC Milan and Napoli coach was without a job.
Ahead of the 2022-2023 season, Valencia appointed him as the club’s coach but the club’s fans are pushing for the deal to be canceled because of his alleged racist comments.
Due to the agitation from the club’s fans, Gennaro Gattuso had to come to the media to insist that he is not racist citing the instance when he signed Tiémoué Bakayoko in 2020 when he was the coach of Napoli.
“My history speaks for itself. I’m racist? I’m homophobic? I’m xenophobic? I’m sexist? Have we gone mad? It’s time to calm down”, Gennaro Gattuso told La Gazzetta.
“So let’s start explaining, the phrase about women, uttered at the time of Barbara Berlusconi’s entry into football, was meant to be a defense of Galliani’s work, which had been brusquely dismissed.”
“I’m racist? Then why did I sign Bakayoko when I was at Napoli? I’ve never had anything against Black players, many of whom have been my teammates and friends.
“I built my career with hard work, commitment and sweat. Nobody has given me anything as a gift. And I will no longer allow anyone, with terrible accusations, to hinder my work.”
The day Gennaro Gattuso took on Joe Jordan 😲😂
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 15, 2021
Can you believe this moment is 🔟 years old!? 😳pic.twitter.com/JDSg944mO8
