The former coach of Croatia, Igor Stimac, says that the behavior of Gennaro Gattuso in his public spat with television analyst Josko Jelicic did not suit a coach of Hajduk Split “.
Gattuso took shade on Jelicic’s criticism towards him and his team After Hajduk’s 3-0 defeat against the Rivals of the title Rijeka on Sunday, refusing to shake hands with him or to speak to him during an post-match interview.
Things were heated between Joško Jeličić and Gennaro Gattuso after the match. pic.twitter.com/nzed6qe04x
– Croatian football (@croatiafooty) March 16, 2025
Stimac sides with the best man Jelicic
Stimac, who won the Croatian title with Hajduk as a player and coach, was not impressed, although he admitted to having a strong link with Jelicic.
He said to www.sportske.jutarnji.hr Website: “Although I was Joško’s best man at his wedding, and we are very good friends, I have no reason to be subjective.
“What Gattuso has done was not to adapt him, as a world champion, not to say it as a Hajduk coach, and not to say it as a foreigner in this country, so as not to respect those who comment on matches.
“Regardless of Joško’s certain cynicism, with whom he knows how to spice up his comment, which is impeccable, we can analyze everything he said, and there is not a single lie there.
“So he strikes exactly where he needs, analyzes the matches and makes his comment with which 99% of people agree. Some are against his style, but that obviously suits television. Maybe he is sometimes going a little too far, but he does his job.”
Stimac suggests that Gattuso would have been dismissed if he was Croatian
Sunday’s defeat saw Hajduk slip into second position, two points behind the table toppers Rijeka and Stimac have questioned Gattuso’s impact in Split since taking over in June from last year.
“What has he brought to Hajduk?” He added. “I believe that as long as Hajduk, Dinamo [Zagreb]Osijek and Rijeka do not insist on the two results and [quality of] Play, our football and the league will not go in the right direction.
“And this must be the priority of each coach, because the clubs pay them very well.
“I ask a logical question. How many of us Croats would have dismissed if our team played like that of Gattuso? It is overlooked all the time.
“You shoot the goal once, you give absolutely nothing, your team has no standards, you have no coordination, you have no connected movements, you have no combinations, you have nothing.
“Several players have continuously played in bad positions, and you still dare after such a match, after a 3-0 defeat, to come to the studio and threaten.”
He was lucky not to be there …
Stimac was a center of center without frills in a player career which included stays in West Ham and Derby and he was not sure that he could have contained himself in the way Jelicic faced the hostility of Gattuso.
“He was lucky not to be there,” he said. “It wouldn’t have been good. I would not have supported it, all credit to Jelicic. ”
