AC Milan's President, Paolo Scaroni, spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport about the new stadium project, the TV rights and other important topics. Here are his statements:
"Another Scudetto? Everyone is optimistic, from Maldini to Pioli, why should I not be?"
The climb to the top has gone through moments of difficulty:
"In Chinese management, I was in constant apprehension. For the loan granted, Elliott wanted me to represent them on the board of directors. A year of hell, the financial situation was always slightly below the required parameters, every intervention by Yonghong, even if a few million euros, it arrived at the last available moment. We had to insist like crazy. At the final squeeze, when he couldn't repay the debt and the club passed into Elliott's ownership, I breathed a sigh of relief. There were others difficult moments, I am thinking of the 5-0 in Bergamo, before experiencing these magical years."
Scaroni on Milan becoming competitive and more sustainable financially with Elliott:
"In Italy we set ourselves as a model. Elliott was a responsible shareholder who in any case made the necessary capital increases and invested heavy sums: over 700 million. They were a forerunner, in a certain sense obligatory: all of football will go like this, it is no longer the time of the patron president with a large portfolio. Financial Fair Play requires it: in Italy we consider 'losing' in the balance sheet logical, but it should be the opposite. Bayern Munich has been making money for almost thirty consecutive years. Football is like a car, and money is its fuel. The ideological debate is sterile: football, the League, they don't want to pity anyone but they should. Without money, the car stops. You don't compete, the system stops: to have ambitions need resources."
More revenues, more investments in the team, more chances to compete in Europe. How can Milan get back into the grand tour?
Scaroni on the new stadium project:
"The public debate has concluded and in a few weeks we are waiting for the report from the Municipality. If they suggest feasible changes, we will implement them. If they ask for upheavals, no thanks. We thought of a different system, with two rings and developed vertically, to allow a view optimal from all positions: for this reason it could contain from 65,000 to 70,000 spectators. In parallel we follow other paths: a door to Sesto San Giovanni, but it is not the only one. We will proceed where it unlocks first."
On renovating the San Siro stadium:
"Technically impossible. There is no stadium as large, or even a little less, within a radius of thirty kilometres. When San Siro becomes unusable, where do we move the teams."
Gerry Cardinale's priority is the new stadium...
"Absolutely. Together with him we will make the final decision on where to go. He and his team are experts in the field, they helped build Yankees stadiums, Dallas and Cleveland. They have a background of absolute level on the subject. Back to the point: new, full, lively stadiums are fundamental for the sports business model that he intends. Not only football but entertainment: the match connected to other events, with the involvement of families. We must understand that we are actors not only in football but in the world of entertainment. An American vision of sport, which can generate further profits. Again, who better than him to accompany us in this new phase?"
Before the announcement of the purchase of AC Milan, Gerry Cardinale was celebrating the Scudetto triump with the fans in Piazza Duomo. Now, he's more 'shy'. What is his true nature?
"He is a professional with an excellent curriculum. As a student he obtained the Rhodes Scholarship, the scholarship that for an American is an institution, the same one won by Bill Clinton and which takes you straight to Oxford. He is a fan of all sports. He is reserved but has his say.Had he not wanted to win a new challenge, he would have remained calm at Goldman Sachs. I like that he defines himself as the 'guardian' of the club'."
Paolo Maldini also protects AC Milan. How is your relationship with him?
"We're talking about an authentic legend. And a good, pleasant person who gradually took on the role of manager. It's not so obvious, I would say quite the opposite. Like him, Pioli and Massara are excellent professionals and serious men. He is our Milan style."
What is your personal feeling about Rafael Leao's renewal situation?
"They tell me that he is very comfortable in Milan and that he is motivated. I know that Maldini is negotiating and as far as I have just said, if he is negotiating, I'm calm."
Scaroni on Olivier Giroud's World Cup performances so far in Qatar:
"We are very proud of him. Milan has revitalized him. There is a bit of our credit also in the successes of France."
