Eighty-five days. It has been just under three months since May 24, the day of Milan’s last match at San Siro (against Monza, a detail irrelevant to the narrative). And how many things have changed in the meantime. Tomorrow, the pitch will once again take center stage, unlike that late-May Saturday when what dominated was the protest of the Rossoneri fans, led by the Curva Sud. The same Curva Sud that, in practice, will not be represented at the Meazza against Bari, or at least not as we have known it until today. Unless surprises arise that are currently unforeseen, we will have to get used to it. We will come back to this later in this space.
A new era begins for AC Milan
What has changed over these months is, without a doubt, the perception toward the team (mind you: the team, not the club). Of the 23 called up tomorrow, only 14 were part of the squad at the end of last season; the rest is all new (or almost, as in the case of Saelemaekers and Okafor). On the bench, Sergio Conceicao is no longer there, but Massimiliano Allegri. In the stands, there is an extra man in the figure of Igli Tare, which makes all the difference in the world. This is the duo on which the club has decided to bet to rebuild after a disastrous season. No more fanciful or philosophical solutions: the era of concreteness has begun.
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The more than 65,000 spectators announced by the club are a small thermometer of how that toxic atmosphere experienced throughout the past 10 months may have changed. This alone is not enough to declare Milan and its environment cured; results on the pitch and daily work will be needed, but it is a first sign of a small spark of hope, a small token of trust toward a new three-year project. Three-year, yes: a theme we explored in yesterday evening’s editorial and which we invite you to catch up on if you missed it.
Trust comes from the men to whom the management has entrusted itself. Men of football above all. Men seeking a great challenge to relaunch themselves after experiences concluded with Juventus and Lazio. Allegri and Tare today represent the lifeline for the Rossoneri fans: it is up to them to make the team soon become such, so that fans do not have to bear the weight of pressure alone, as relayed via Milan Press.
Curva Sud and the Challenge of Communication
And when speaking of weight, it is right to also discuss the heavy situation concerning the Curva Sud. Much has been read, little has been said, and vice versa. The premise is one: there is a serious communication short-circuit between those who transmit and those who receive decisions. The topic is certainly delicate, and for this reason attempting to reduce it to a good-bad dualism is as simplistic as it is misleading.
In fact, over the past few weeks, there have been new details: the new rules regarding the management of San Siro and its spectators are the result of clear and strict directives from the Prosecutor following the “Doppia Curva” investigation involving the organized fan bases of Milan and Inter. The goal is to eliminate free zones and the emergence of new criminal phenomena. Whether one likes it or not, it is all a consequence of the judicial process opened in recent months.
Today’s stance by the Curva Sud is entirely justified if one looks at the matter from the fans’ perspective. It is peculiar that people who have nothing to do with the environment, except for a family relationship, are being placed on a blacklist. If confirmed, it is not correct that there are no responses from the club regarding alleged new banners to be introduced at San Siro.
With healthy realism, it is right to clarify one thing: it is unthinkable that the organized fan base consecrated in recent years could return to its former status after what has happened. Identifying the club and the “imposed authoritarian regime” as the sole culprit does not solve the problem; on the contrary, it amplifies one concerning the club-fan relationship. A relationship that even the club is required to nurture more carefully, first and foremost through more transparent communication, in compliance with obligations.
