On the occasion of Il Foglio's event at San Siro, AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni also spoke. Here are his statements:
On Milan’s attendance record at the stadium:
"Our fans are at the center of our attention. Having them by our side is extremely important. Having them even during such a difficult season as this one is proof that we have what today would be called resilient fans, who support Milan even when the team isn't delivering brilliant performances like this year. Although, I must remind everyone — let’s not forget — we still won the Supercoppa in the end. So I can’t say it’s been a completely negative season."
On the ultras issue:
"This is a problem both Milan and Inter are facing. Maybe other Italian clubs are dealing with it too, but the judiciary has focused on our curva sections. I can only thank the judiciary because we want our stadiums to become a place where families can enjoy themselves, and the last thing we want is criminal elements coexisting within our stadium. So we’re taking advantage of the opportunity that these judicial actions provide to clean things up. We’re doing this every day, naturally by monitoring access. We'll be implementing facial recognition at stadium entrances. We're going to do a lot to make sure that neither violent individuals nor criminals can enter the stadium. And that’s the first step. Then, when we have the new stadium, we’ll take the decisive step — also following the example of England. In England, the hooligans disappeared once new stadiums were built, and I’m convinced that the creation of a new stadium will also be a pivotal moment for us."
How can the sporting project be strengthened for next season?
"Being active is one thing, but being successful is another. Certainly, some of the signings we've made have been a great success, and we have players who have become long-term Milan players, consistently delivering strong performances. Other additions have been less successful. Morata, who is now playing at Galatasaray, certainly didn’t turn out to be a great move in the end, for many reasons — because there's always some unpredictability involved in creating the chemistry that allows a great player like Morata to thrive at Milan. It’s never a given. We intend to continue with our strategy of being active, especially with young players. So we’ll continue in this process of strengthening the team, which is of course overseen by those responsible — Giorgio Furlani first and foremost, then Ibra, and our entire team involved in this effort. Because we want to have a great season next year."
Is Zlatan Ibrahimović still an asset to Milan?
"Well, he's definitely an asset for Milan and for RedBird. He’s a RedBird advisor, seconded to Milan. Ibra is a great champion — he was a phenomenal player and still is a great asset in his current role. I must say, I see an absolutely positive atmosphere. Sometimes I read reports of differing views, but honestly, it doesn’t seem that way to me. It seems the relationship (with Furlani, ed.) is excellent."
On a potential new sporting director, Scaroni answered:
"Certainly, we continue to look around because we want to strengthen our team — not just the squad but also the people around it. Nothing has been decided yet. We’re doing our due diligence to see who might be the most suitable individuals to strengthen our management. A decision will be made in the coming weeks. But for now, no decision has been made."
Will Milan and Inter really get a new stadium?
"Today, as I see it, we’ve sort of played a game of Monopoly and ended up back at the starting point — that is, building a new stadium here at San Siro, continuing to play at the Meazza until the new stadium is ready. Once the new stadium is ready, we’ll move from the Meazza to the new one. Then, where the Meazza stands now, we’ll preserve some of its remains — a stadium we all love and which is so important to our history — and we’ll develop the area. We’ll bring Milan and Inter’s headquarters here, build a hotel, and do many things. Today, you hear a more optimistic tone from me, and this is the reason: this project is no longer just a Milan and Inter project — it’s also become a project of the City of Milan and the Mayor. He wants to give Milan a wonderful stadium, which this city deserves. The two clubs that play here deserve it. Thanks to Milan and Inter, the city is one of the great football capitals of the world, and it should have a stadium that is not just beautiful, but stunning, efficient — something we can all be proud of. We want it, and the Mayor wants it. I still maintain a certain level of concern, because I know Italy and how difficult it is to get major projects done. But if you ask me what the chances are of this process ending successfully, I’d say well above 50%."
Even the Mayor understood that staying in this area made sense:
"Certainly, that played a role too. The Mayor and the administration have many voices — there’s a majority, an opposition, a mixed majority, so I put myself in his shoes. It’s never easy to gather consensus around such a major project. I can understand that. Then, the fact that both we and Inter are so determined to have a new stadium to host us — to the point we even considered leaving San Siro — that also had an impact. Have I always been against renovating the Meazza? Yes. The fundamental reason? I just can't imagine a major construction site — cranes, cement, etc. — with 70,000 people entering every three days. I think that would be extremely dangerous — for everyone. There is no precedent for two teams continuing to play in a stadium while it's being extensively renovated as would be required here. If we had, nearby, a 40,000-seat stadium — even though we currently draw 70,000 — where we could temporarily move for a year, then renovation might have made sense."
Scaroni on other problems in Italian football:
"As far as piracy is concerned, we have a great new law passed by the Italian Parliament — but it’s not being properly enforced. Or rather, it is enforced, but it practically never punishes those who benefit from piracy. We need the judiciary, the Guardia di Finanza, and the authorities to punish those who buy illegal IPTV services. Because those who do commit a small crime. If people don’t understand this, we’ll always have this problem. Regarding betting and gambling, it seems the government has understood that Italy can’t be the only country in the world where betting ads are banned — it’s unclear why — and where, despite being the origin of betting, we don’t profit from it. I expect that soon we’ll see changes that will help bring in money we need to compete in Europe. As for the third issue — broadcasting rights — we face a steep uphill climb. We missed the boat years ago when the Premier League succeeded in selling itself internationally. La Liga had the luck of having two great players — Ronaldo and Messi — for many years, which attracted international TV rights. Also, don’t forget 600 million people speak Spanish worldwide, so we must compare ourselves to these realities. So the road ahead is tough, but the League agrees that this is a top priority, and we’ll do everything we can to climb this mountain and restore Serie A to what it once was."
A word of hope for Milan fans:
"There are many names, because Milan is made up of all its players. Someone asked me for a few names — I said that Reijnders and Pulisic have had consistently very good performances throughout the season. Then there’s Leao — he excites our fans, and I believe he excites everyone, including myself. And sometimes we need those strong emotions. From that perspective, Leao gives us a lot. But let’s remember that what counts is the team. Naming individual players can feel like we’re forgetting the others, but that’s not the case. And I hope that next season we can all do much better."
