Ivan Gazidis, former CEO of AC Milan, granted an interview to the YouTube channel "Business of Sport" and talked about his experience with the Rossoneri. Below are all his statements.
On Elliott's arrival at Milan:
"The club had not been in optimal conditions for quite some time, failing to qualify for the Champions League for seven years and not winning the league title for eleven. Elliott took over Milan as the Chinese ownership was either unable or unwilling to repay the debts they had incurred to acquire the club, and thus Milan was in a real crisis. I remember one of the early matches, we were losing 0-3 at home and the South Curve (fans' section) abandoned the stadium during the match, so we were playing with the part of the stadium where we were supposed to score, empty. The club was losing about 150 million euros per year, and there was a risk it could reach 200 million, as despite making expensive transfers, the team's performance on the field was not at a high level, so there were many challenges for us."
On sponsors and San Siro: "There were few foreign sponsors, two-thirds of the sponsors were Italian, and we had a stadium that, despite being beautiful and historic, was in non-excellent conditions, with areas that, as dangerous as they were and still are, are closed to the public. There are few facilities for disabled access, and it's better to avoid the bathrooms, especially if you're a woman."
On his arrival, Gazidis declared:
"The situation wasn't rosy, and I was chosen by a New York fund and not knowing the Italian language, a fund in which people didn't have much faith. They inherited the club not by choice but because there was a risk of default, and consequently, they found themselves having to manage Milan. They could have approached this venture in various ways, they could have cut costs and immediately sold the club to make some quick money, but they decided not to. They decided to appoint a CEO to turn the situation around, and I arrived and had to immediately deal with various problems, but I always did so with their full support."
On Elliott's work:
"They completely revolutionised the management, both in terms of sports and commercial aspects, and from there, we had a lot to do to fix the team. The first thought was to lower the wage bill, because we couldn't afford to lose all that money, but at the same time, we also had to improve the on-field performance, that was the real challenge."
And again on the choices of the American fund:
"We hired a world-class head scout (Moncada), and a team of experienced observers, combining these two things, we immediately got excellent results. Then we identified Paolo Maldini as the sporting director, and he immediately impressed me. Paolo not only brought his charisma but was also able to create true father-son relationships with the younger players. Paolo was excellent."
On the difficulties, Gazidis said:
"It wasn't easy. In the first year, we sold and even let go of some of our players for free. People were skeptical, but we warned them that we would be buying young players who would become strong."
On fan pressure:
"I felt the pressure from the fans, of course. However, over time, I learned that you have to do what you believe in. You have to focus on what you believe is right and make people understand that you're doing what is right."
