10 Most Unprofessional Managers in Football History [Ranked]

As football fans, we often like to celebrate and discuss the most innovative and best football managers in history, whether these names were renowned for their tactical acumen or man management skills, or perhaps both.

One thing we don’t discuss much is those managers who were extremely unprofessional characters. Unprofessionalism comes in many forms, such as: poor and aggressive behaviour, toxic leadership, or just by making flat-out shocking decisions for the football club.

In this article, GIVEMESPORT has ranked the 10 most unprofessional managers in football history. These coaches were made famous for their poor antics on the touchline by verbally abusing referees, or abusing or sometimes assaulting their own players in the dressing room, or even having bust-ups on the training ground.

10

Kevin Muscat

Notable Teams Managed: Melbourne Victory, Shanghai Port

As a player, particularly at Millwall and Rangers, Kevin Muscat was one of the most feared defenders due to his brutal challenges. He was so brutal that he was even banned from playing in Old Firm games during his stint at Rangers. Unfortunately, that aggressive mentality followed him into management.

While coaching Melbourne Victory, he was infamous for berating referees and opposition players. His methods were questioned when it came to player treatment, with reports of him pushing his squad to excessive physical limits. His reputation for intimidation made him one of the least liked managers in Australian football.

However, to be fair to Muscat, he has grown into his management career, and he currently boasts a 73% win rate in China for Shanghai Port. His recent success in Japan and China has seen him closely linked with the Rangers job.

9

Raymond Domenech

Notable Teams Managed: Lyon, France, Nantes

Raymond Domenech’s reign as the France manager from 2004-2010 was nothing short of bizarre. Believe it or not, he made team selections based on astrology, refusing to pick players born under certain zodiac signs.

During the 2010 World Cup, he lost control of the French squad so badly that they refused to train. Domenech dismissed Nicolas Anelka from the team after a 2-0 defeat to Mexico, because the forward criticised his leadership. Then, the captain Patrice Evra and assistant coach Robert Duverne had a heated confrontation that forced Domenech to physically restrain Duverne.

After this incident, the players responded by returning to the team bus and refused to continue training. This was all sparked by Domenech’s ego.

8

Jorge Sampaoli

Notable Teams Managed: Argentina, Marseille, Rennes

Jorge Sampaoli learned all of his tactical knowledge from fellow Argentinian, the legendary and eccentric Marcelo Bielsa. But, his ego and erratic leadership style have led to multiple fallouts at several clubs.

One of his most high-profile incidents came at the 2018 World Cup, where he lost control of Argentina’s squad, with reports suggesting Lionel Messi was making key decisions instead of him because players did not want him to be the manager anymore. After bowing out of the competition, he was relieved of his duties.

7

Gennaro Gattuso

Notable Teams Managed: AC Milan, Napoli, Marseille

Ranking at number seven is Gennaro Gattuso. Known for his warrior mentality as a player in the centre of midfield, he has struggled to eradicate this same aggressive temperament in his coaching career.

While managing in Italy, he had heated confrontations with opposition players, referees, and even his own members of staff. During a fierce local derby between Spal and Pisa, Gattuso, who was managing Pisa at the time, lost his cool, walked up to his own assistant manager and whacked him in the face and then took an item out of his assistant’s hands.

6

Paolo Di Canio

Notable Teams Managed: Swindon Town, Sunderland

Paolo Di Canio’s first job in management came at Swindon Town. And it was during this tenure that he was involved in one of the most viral incidents in English football lower league history.

In the 2012/13 campaign, the Italian substituted starting goalkeeper Wes Foderingham for Leigh Bedwell after just 21 minutes, with Swindon two goals down. The goalkeeper reacted angrily to his substitution, kicking a water bottle as he left the pitch, before storming down the tunnel. Di Canio publicly criticised Foderingham after the game and claimed that if he did not apologise for his actions, he would be “out” of the club. He also referred to the goalkeeper as “League One Wes” in the post-match interview.

Di Canio’s time as Sunderland manager was a circus of controversy as well. He banned players from drinking Coca-Cola, eating ketchup, and even smiling too much. These extreme leadership methods and the team’s poor form eventually led to players rebelling against him, and he was sacked after 13 games in charge.

5

Brian Clough

Notable Teams Managed: Derby County, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United

Brian Clough was a legendary manager and one of the greatest British managers in football history. But, you probably wouldn’t be able to get away with his disciplinary methods in today’s game.

Known for his old-school approach, he often ruled with an iron fist, which saw him involved in several altercations. One of his most famous moments came when he once punched multiple Nottingham Forest fans who ran onto the pitch to celebrate a League Cup quarter-final win in 1989.

Additionally, he would sometimes hit his own players and hurl abuse at them, using this as a method to fire up his players if they were losing.

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4

Graeme Souness

Notable Teams Managed: Rangers, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Southampton

Coming in at number four is Graeme Souness. Souness, like in his playing days, had a fiery career in management, but his antics at Galatasaray take the crown. After winning the Turkish Cup in 1996, after the game he planted a giant Galatasaray flag in the center of Fenerbahçe’s pitch, a move that almost sparked a riot. As Souness was exiting the pitch and heading to the tunnel, he faced a barrage of objects being thrown his way by Fenerbahce fans.

During his time as Southampton manager, he once signed infamous Premier League flop Ali Dia, a fraud who falsely claimed to be George Weah’s cousin, without even watching him play.

Oddly enough, after failing to impress at trials at the likes of Gillingham Town and Rotherham United, Dia somehow managed to convince Souness and the coaching staff in training sessions with the Saints. Eventually, he made an appearance for the club before being released. That single decision made him one of the most ridiculed managers in Premier League history.

3

Jose Mourinho

Notable Teams Managed: Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United

Jose Mourinho is one of football’s greatest managers, but he is also one of the sorest of losers as well, with his antics often overshadowing his brilliance. The Portuguese coach is one of the biggest wind-up merchants we have seen in modern football.

One of his most shocking incidents happened back in 2011, when he was manager of Real Madrid, in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona. The first leg at Santiago Bernabeu had ended in a 2-2 draw, so the tensions were high. During a brawl that erupted close to the visitor’s dugout at Camp Nou, Mourinho sneaked up on Tito Vilanova, the then assistant manager of Barça, and put a finger in his eye. As there was no VAR back then and none of the referees saw it happen, Mourinho wasn’t penalised.

He’s also had plenty of run-ins with referees too. One of the most recent famous ones came back in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League final when his side, Roma, were beaten on penalties by Sevilla in a feisty game. After the match, Mourinho would go on an insane rant about the match referee, Anthony Taylor, and then chased Taylor down into the car park to confront him over his performance.

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2

John Sitton

Notable Teams Managed: Leyton Orient

Ranking at number two on this list is John Sitton. Sitton managed Leyton Orient in the 1990s and is best remembered for one of the most outrageous team talks ever caught on camera, when he featured in the Channel 4 documentary: Orient: Club for a Fiver.

During a halftime speech in a league match at home to Blackpool, he sacked two players on the spot, including fan-favourite Terry Howard, and told another to “bring his f***ing dinner” if he wanted to fight him in the car park after the game. Unsurprisingly, his career never recovered from that shocking documentary footage.

1

Alan Pardew

Notable Teams Managed: Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, West Ham

Alan Pardew has a long history of losing his cool on the touchline. While he had a respectable managerial career with clubs like Newcastle United and Crystal Palace, his short temper often got the better of him.

As the Magpies manager, he once headbutted Hull City’s David Meyler during a match in the 2013/14 Premier League season just because the Hull City man wanted to get the ball back in play quicker from a throw-in. Following the incident, the FA gave him a seven-match ban.

In addition to this, he also had multiple spats with fellow managers, including Arsene Wenger, when Pardew served as the West Ham United boss. In the 2006/07 campaign, the Hammers claimed a late victory over Arsenal which saw the two managers clash in the technical area after Pardew purposely fist-pumped in Wenger’s direction.

All stats taken from Transfermarkt and Soccerbase – Correct as of 04/03/25.