APA Milan have released a statement stressing their concerns about the future direction of the club in light of recent events.
On Sunday night, Milan lost their final game of the season against Cagliari at San Siro, dropping from third to fifth in one night and losing their Champions League spot. As the boos rained down from the stands, it felt like one of the darkest moments in the Rossoneri’s modern history.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
Less than 24 hours later, the entire face of the club had changed, or rather had been removed. Massimiliano Allegri was sacked as the head coach, while directors Igli Tare and Geoffrey Moncada were canned, as was the CEO Giorgio Furlani. Now, a rebuild from scratch is underway.
‘Simply pathetic’
Now, the Association of Small Shareholders of the club (APA Milan) have issued an official statement with its thoughts on the season, which has been relayed by MilanNews.
“The very sad conclusion to this sad AC Milan season (in which few moments were saved, starting with the derby wins) could easily have been imagined by anyone who knows even a little about the game of football.
“A game in which the difference between success and failure is often measured in centimetres. And so it wasn’t impossible to imagine those who only aimed for fourth place… could also finish fifth.
“That the owners think they can shirk their responsibilities – and their shame – by purging their entire top management (financial and sporting) seems simply pathetic.
“RedBird introduced itself by boastfully claiming to be the custodian of a new vision of football, the forerunner of a different philosophy for our sport that would quickly establish itself worldwide.
“In truth, it merely irreversibly separated the owners’ goals (reselling the club for a billion-dollar capital gain) from the ambition of AC Milan supporters: sporting success, while respecting the history and culture of one of the most important clubs on the planet.
“The managers Cardinale dismissed attempted to faithfully execute this perverse plan, to the complete satisfaction – until yesterday! – of an ownership group that was almost always absent (evidently confident in its full authority) and that had inspired the club’s operational guidelines in recent years (even reappointing Furlani, just a few weeks ago, until 2028).
“We cannot therefore be confident in the future, because it was Red Bird, even before those it chose to carry out its speculative project, that wanted to turn AC Milan into a Genetically Modified Organism, in which it wanted to replace the fans and their passion with customers, tourists, and their spending power.
“And in which a new stadium that was supposed to become the home of the Rossoneri only now seems like the pretext – shared with Inter – for a major real estate transaction on the side.
“The small shareholders intend to respond to this state of affairs in two ways: first, by relaunching their widespread shareholder initiative, to ensure that an ever-increasing number of AC Milan fans have a voice in the club’s governing bodies. Second, by proposing that all AC Milan supporters and their organisations join together in initiatives challenging this view of ownership.
“And let them gather around the symbols of Milanismo.”
Start collecting money and slowly buying shares. The only way forward for clubs in Europe is this. Barcelona and Real Madrid are perfect examples. They are dominating world football without private owners. Fans pick the guy that is in charge of the club on elections.
You cannot buy shares at Milan.
Milan is privately owned and are not publicly traded.
You also cannot buy shares at Real Madrid. And becoming a socio at Real Madrid is even more rare since those spots are grandfathered in.
Cardinale is looking for a minor shareholder for 2 years. He’d sell a minority share yesterday. What do you mean by you can’t buy shares? If you had the money and made an offer to Redbird you’d be able to buy shares.
Who said that you can buy shares at Madrid or Barcelona? They are non profits, they don’t’ have shares at all. Models are a bit different to the German model, but fans vote have a say and a big one. Is it a smaller group of fans or all of them is irrelevant, it is a similar model. You could say that only Cataluna citizens can vote for Barcelona since you have to vote in person and they don’t have voting spots in Asia for example. It still is a great model.
It’s not open to the public. This isn’t Juventus. Juventus is publicly traded.
Try reading again with understanding. It is literally the first sentence.
But to cut short more stupid comments about the same thing. Yes, anyone can offer Redbird to buy shares from them. You, Z, me, Arabian investor, anyone. They don’t have to accept it. But since Redbird took over they were looking for an investor to buy a minority share, to get rid of the loan. They just refinanced it, it still costs interest every season.
Which part is not clear to you that you literally repeated the same thing Z said and I replied?
“Start collecting money and slowly buying shares. ”
This is what you wrote.
The Minority shares that Cardinale is looking to sell yesterday is 25%. Thats half a billion. So who were you thinking of when you said “Start collecting money and slowly buying shares”?
And guess what, even if you slowly put your pennies together and manage to buy 25%, you still have no control, he still has the control since he is a MAJORITY owner.
Just say you were ignorant on the subject and move on
Yes, first you gather the money and then when you have the money, make an offer. That is the logical course of things. How do you know Cardinale wouldn’t sell. let’s say, 2% shares to a fan club if the offer was made? You have no clue. Who said you have control with even 49%? You are projecting something I never said. You are the ignorant one, you literally have to put words into my mouth to sound better. It is obviously long term, but it’s a start, that is the “slowly” part.
So a fan club couldn’t theoretically buy a few % shares every year and slowly build up their share % in the club? And Cardinale would not even think about this? Ok. I guess he told you. Thank you for sharing.
It’s amazing that even after being continually wrong, you’re so arrogant you assume, without actually knowing, the drivel you post is correct!
Barcelona are dominating World football? They haven’t won the UCL for over a decade. Real Madrid are what they have ALWAYS been.
Real Madrid ‘fans’ don’t vote in elections, club members vote. Clubs members are Spanish citizens and only get in if two other socios vouch for them, effectively it’s a closed shop and not the silly fan power crap you make it out to be.
The EPL clubs are privately owned, PSG are privately owned so in fact privately owned clubs ARE dominating. The Spanish model is the exception, not the rule.
Cardinale has tried to fool us one too many times and now the entire professional footballing world is wise to it. Maldini is the only option. MAYBE Rangnick but either way Cardinale will have to do a 180 on his spending focus and basic plan for this club. No one is coming anywhere near this club that is worth anything. Why would any coach join BEFORE management is in place? At least a sporting director lol. This is beyond a joke now, it’s dangerous and Milan risk entering a dark period beyond “the banter era”. They could damage the brand in which it could take another 10 years to dig out of. Cardinale may seriously sell his majority stake this year or next. Just give up on the stadium, take your losses, and move on.
Firing the whole lot was the right and only decision. The season wasn’t lost on the last day….it was subpar performances against Udinese (3-0 loss) and Sassuolo (2-0 loss). Had Milan simply drawn against these two opponents, they would have qualified even with the last-game loss to Cagliari.
Tare and Allegri share the blame – playing a 3-5-2 with two of the better wings in Europe (admittedly injured for some of the season) made no sense. Allegri stubbornly stuck with an offensive formation that didn’t match the talent he had. Tare deserves some blame for not bringing in a decent holding #9 – they fumbled Mateta and others.
Really well put.
Italian fandom is in the same poor state as the league.
“those who only aimed for fourth place”
Only? No, not only. A minimum.
“That the owners think they can shirk their responsibilities”
They didn’t. It’s called accountability.
“In truth, it merely irreversibly separated the owners’ goals (reselling the club for a billion-dollar capital gain) from the ambition of AC Milan supporters: sporting success”
A failed attempt at self importance, but if the aim to get rich from selling the club for a profit, it will have NOTHING to do with the fans, but with success on and off the pitch.