Today's edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport has discussed the investigation into the sale of AC Milan from Elliott to RedBird, which took place in 2022. An inquiry conducted by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Milan that has seen Ivan Gazidis and Giorgio Furlani, respectively the former and current CEO of the Rossoneri club, listed as suspects.
They are accused of obstructing the exercise of supervisory functions by public authorities at the time Milan transitioned from Elliott to RedBird. The reference here is to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), a private body that the prosecutors believe should be treated as a public entity in their oversight activities regarding football clubs.
The FIGC Prosecutor's Office has obtained an initial set of documents over the past couple of weeks. Now they intend to request Lombardy prosecutors for new documents to clarify the situation.
So far, Federal Prosecutor Giuseppe Chinè has only obtained the 12 pages of the search warrant in the offices of Casa Milan and in the homes of Gazidis and Furlani. Now, according to the newspaper, they hope to have something more detailed, perhaps including the analysis of the content of the devices seized from Gazidis and Furlani. But that's not all. The Federal Prosecutor will soon proceed with interrogations that inevitably should involve the two suspects.
From a sports perspective, according to the national sports newspaper, Milan risks a point deduction in the standings. The subject of the FIGC Prosecutor's investigation is indeed the alleged false statements made by Gazidis and Furlani to Co.A.P.S. - Commissione Acquisizione Partecipazioni Societarie (Commission for the Acquisition of Corporate Holdings). This body, unlike the Covisoc (Commission for the Supervision of Football Clubs), has no publicist value and is responsible for verifying the requirements of new buyers.
Investigators want to ascertain whether, at the time of AC Milan's sale from Elliott to RedBird, necessary information was withheld from the Commission to assess, in particular, the integrity and financial solidity requirements of the future owners. The issue is regulated by Article 20 bis of the NOIF (Norme Organizzative Interne della Figc) (Internal Organizational Rules of the Italian Football Federation) which governs "Acquisitions and sales of corporate holdings in professional contexts," and its sanctions expressly refer to Article 32 of the Sports Justice Code, which, as mentioned, also includes point deductions.
Once all the documents are thoroughly studied, as concluded by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Chinè may also contest Article 4 to Gazidis and Furlani. This article obliges companies and executives to observe "the principles of loyalty, correctness, and probity." Meanwhile, AC Milan, under Article 6, could be accused of direct responsibility, as we are talking about two Rossoneri CEOs.
Source: Pianeta Milan
