Gennaro Gattuso was involved in a heated televised clash with a pundit on Sunday, stating "I don't have respect for you".
Gattuso, now in charge of Croatian top-flight outfit Hajduk Split, argued with the club's former midfielder Josko Jelicic after witnessing his side lose 3-0 to Rijeka - a result which knocked them off top spot.
The Italian manager snubbed a handshake from Jelicic when joining the MaxSport team following the full-time whistle, instead waving it away before greeting the other panelists.
'I don't have respect for you'
That led to a furious exchange between the pair with the Hajduk boss clearly agitated by Jelicic's previous comments.
"I don’t shake hands with you as you speak too much," Gattuso said.
"You speak too much and you don't have respect for the people. You played football, you understand, so you know very well the situation.
"You always speak very bad. I don't have respect for you. You speak very bad."
While it is unclear which comments sparked the reaction from the World Cup winner, Jelicic defended his stance by claiming "you played very badly" when switching from English to Italian.
Things got heated between Joško Jeličić and Gennaro Gattuso after the match. pic.twitter.com/NZEd6Qe04x
— Croatian Football (@CroatiaFooty) March 16, 2025
"Put your hand down. You have to respect me," was the follow-up before the continued angry exchange prompted Gattuso to claim: "I don't want to speak with him. This is the last time, if you are here, I won't speak to the TV because you are a bad person.
"I won't speak with you, ok? Let's go."
Gattuso made the move to Croatia to take the job in June after his departure from French Ligue 1 outfit Marseille.
They currently sit second to Rijeka following the game on Sunday, with his side winning 13 and drawing a further nine of their 26 league contests.
The same opponent ended Hajduk's cup campaign, while they failed to feature in the UEFA Conference League after defeat to Slovakian outfit Ružomberok in the third round of qualifying.
Gattuso is no stranger to controversy. He famously clashed with Tottenham coach Joe Jordan during a Champions League match while playing for Milan in 2011.
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