As usual before home matches, on the occasion of Milan–Cagliari as well, the Curva Sud distributed its fanzine, in which there are rather direct attacks against the Rossoneri management. Below is the full text.
The Curva Sud fanzine before Milan–Cagliari
"During the past week, the long interview given by Milan owner Gerry Cardinale dominated discussion. After years of silence, he woke up from his golden slumber to reel off abstract promises and the same worn-out concepts, in short, the usual words aimed at calming the protests of Milan supporters. And yes, these words arrived precisely when all the international media had shown and reported what is happening around Milan: the protests and discomfort of an entire fanbase, which are damaging the image and management of RedBird Capital Partners. Hence the sermon in a lengthy interview carefully staged with La Gazzetta dello Sport, a newspaper that by now has nothing left of journalism, given that it did not even publish a short piece about last Sunday’s fan protest, while granting pages to the owner where he tries to tone things down, calm an environment devastated by this ownership, and reassure the financial world more than the Milan environment," as relayed via MilanPress.it.
Cardinale said he does not blame Milan supporters for being angry because he is angry too, and he says this after this ownership (HIS ownership) carried out a crusade against the Curva Sud and organised support as a whole, emptying San Siro not only of real fans but also of the passion and colour that made it a legendary stadium. The USA-made clique has carried out an ‘ethnic replacement’ aimed at driving away the most loyal and passionate supporters, replacing them with customers, consumers, and football tourists, in the clearest and most blatant show-business logic, with disastrous results visible to everyone. What has Cardinale understood about Milan supporters and Milanismo? How can the owner of one of the world’s most prestigious clubs, who stayed away from stadiums for over a year out of fear of being protested against, presume to tell fans that the team must be supported, when Milan supporters have never stopped singing throughout the year even in the face of embarrassing performances?! How can he do so when his club silently accepted, without batting an eyelid, the absurd restrictions imposed at San Siro, compared with away sections all over Italy filled with colour and passion without crazy limitations? How can he do so when his club accepted without complaint all the absurd restrictions imposed on the supporters at San Siro, while away sections throughout Italy were filled with colour and passion without any limitation?
"Today, in fact, we have a team fighting for fourth place that still has to qualify on the final matchday, after spending months battling at the top of the table despite squad limitations, and which in January was culpably left unchanged without satisfying the requests of the coach and sporting director to try to fight until May. Milan supporters do not necessarily want to win at all costs; Milan supporters want a team built to try to win. They want players who reflect the ambitions of their people and who are worthy of the history of their club. This is what we ask of Mr Cardinale. We are tired of his boastful interviews about being a winner and ambitious, because the last four years have dramatically disproved him in the most painful way for those who truly love Milan."
"Cardinale reappears at the end of yet another lacklustre season after having stayed away from the Rossoneri world for a long time, even missing Milan’s 125th anniversary celebrations (again to avoid protests), and today he tells us he has returned to put things right, to understand what did not work and what needs improving, because he has spent a lot and is a winner. And he says this without laughing, probably because he has never toured the museum on Via Aldo Rossi, or because he has never watched the Diavolo in the historic European nights, or because he does not know on which players he spent HIS money. Because while it is true that a lot of money has been spent under his management (and badly, as he himself primarily pointed out), it is equally true that much of the money spent came from selling important players, dismantling the backbone of the team every time and preventing it from competing to win."
"And since the ownership does not seem willing to sell (UNFORTUNATELY, although hope is always the last to die…), then it should seriously begin to remedy, starting tomorrow, the disasters created in these years in which everyone has paid except the main culprits: OUT with Giorgio Furlani and Geoffrey Moncada for the disastrous decisions that have reduced Milan to a supporting role. OUT with Zlatan Ibrahimović, as valuable as he was as a player and as harmful in an executive role, a toxic and divisive figure within the squad and often absent or out of place in difficult moments. And why not, OUT with Paolo Scaroni, whose usefulness nobody has yet understood. In the American’s monologue, one also reads that the club should have the best people in every area: here too he admits ‘we are not there yet’. And in fact there is not a single area of Milan that functions properly, from the sporting department to the commercial department and even ticketing/booking, but this too is only thanks to the ‘best people’ chosen by him. Milan is not a brand, it is not entertainment, it is not show business, it is not speculation, and as long as these people continue thinking in these terms, killing passion and Milanismo day after day, it will be truly difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel again…"
