As AC Milan faced Bari in the Coppa Italia this weekend, San Siro had a very clear void. A lack of sound from the Curva, and it could become the norm.
Last season, it was a regular occurrence that the Curva protested against things on and off the pitch. When Milan were struggling and the management were not aiding, the group arrived late, chanted against them, and even showed up at Casa Milan on the final day of the season.
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Throughout, there were statements against the management, which were often scathing, and also chants against key figures within the group. Though there were also issues with the Curva itself, with both Inter and Milan ultras being questioned criminally.
APA’s statement
As a result of this, measures have been taken against several members of the Rossoneri group, and there has already been a statement about the implications of this from Curva Sud. The effects were clear to see (and hear) on Sunday night.
Over a season, it may change, but if it doesn’t, it is a very dangerous precedent to set, and MilanNews have relayed the words of APA Milan.
“The recent legal and disciplinary events involving AC Milan’s management and the Curva Sud Ultras provide further cause for reflection for the Club’s Small Shareholders and all Rossoneri supporters. This is even more true after the season opener at San Siro and the “lunar” atmosphere that characterised the 65,000 (fans?) who—in addition to 5,000 from Bari—thronged the stadium.
“As is well known, following the two first-instance convictions handed down to the Curva Sud leaders, the club now refuses to recognise the Ultras as having any role whatsoever in organising the fans, starting with preventing them from managing season tickets in their traditional section of the stadium and prohibiting the display of their historic banners.
“Many of its other representatives have also been personally restricted from accessing San Siro due to the protests which they allegedly launched against the club’s management at the end of last season.”
“The most striking feature of this story is the profound hypocrisy that has permeated it for a long time, at the hands of all parties involved.
“For years, the thousands of Ultras in the Curva have chosen—or allowed themselves to be influenced by—leaders with criminal records, long involved in illicit activities unrelated to their passion for sport, and who have used their ‘troop’s’ willingness to engage in violence as a tool of intimidation.
“When this emerged in such a way as to provoke judicial intervention—and the resulting convictions, albeit not final—the choice was not to distance themselves, dissociate themselves, and renew their own representation and leadership, but to deny the evidence and the findings of the investigation, express unreserved solidarity, and demand the acquittal and release of the accused, victims of judicial persecution.
“Accused of being a “militia,” the Ultras—either complicit or ill-advised—showed up outside the courtroom to await sentencing, dressed in a sort of black bloc uniform and in military regalia. Clearly, they thus facilitated the task of those within the club who were eager to settle scores after last season’s demonstrations of dissent. Because it was a settling of scores.
“AC Milan always knew perfectly well who, how, and for what purposes—not just sporting—the Ultras were directed. And it always looked the other way. Nor did it prevent them, for example, from using the AIMC to facilitate the “second market” for season tickets and tickets.
“Only when the Public Prosecutor’s Office requested a halt to concessions that were being used to finance an organisation led by a group of convicted criminals, once again under investigation for very serious crimes (as demonstrated by the severity of the sentences handed down by the Court), did AC Milan pull the plug.
“But for years, the Italian Milan Club Association—also governed in a completely non-transparent manner—has been making deals with it. And for years, the club’s Supporter Liaison Officer has evidently been asleep or watching another movie (as demonstrated by the fact that the defence of the accused Ultras has repeatedly called him to testify in their defence).
“In this context—as it had already done by failing to approve the shares of the approximately 250 APA members who hold AC Milan shares—the club’s management has decided to take advantage of the situation to inflict an indiscriminate blow on all ultras and further pursue its perverse agenda.
“Fans become customers, buyers of shirts in the colours of Portugal and bearing the crests of Lanerossi Vicenza or Ascoli, collectors of bad taste and devoid of any true sense of belonging.
“Passionate AC Milan fans are replaced in the stands by tourists on all-inclusive packages that include the “San Siro experience,” and they certainly wouldn’t dream of inviting Cardinale, Scaroni, and Furlani to do something else.
“Spectators devoid of any analytical ability, always satisfied with a modest performance put on by a team that claims to only aspire to fourth place, and whose players all have a price tag at which they can be sold, in the name of economic sustainability that trumps any sporting ambition.
“A pathetic network of courtiers who, in the press and on social media, continue to lend credence to this ownership, unaware that a scientific program of ethnic and genetic substitution of AC Milan passion is underway.
“Forget about “Furlani is a Milan fan” and “we’re on the right track”! We can only hope that, with certain decisions that buck the recent past (a coach with clear ideas and a “ready” attitude; a true sporting director), we can attempt to rebuild a Milan worthy of the name; and that the recent transfers allow us to have a season in which we can reconcile ourselves with our game and results.
“But let’s be clear: none of this matters in the slightest to our ownership, whose priorities are entirely different.
“A serious club would sit down at the table with what remains (probably the best part) of the Curva. They would explain what is no longer open to compromise. They would recognise the irreplaceable role of the Ultras in cheering at the stadium.
“The Curva, for its part, should ensure that what happened will not be repeated, starting with their attitude toward the use of violence and their disinterest in any activity other than their unsurpassed display of sporting passion. And a serious agreement would be reached, respecting the law and the best AC Milan culture.
“But this is only possible if the parties seriously demonstrate—beyond slogans and empty statements of principle—that their primary interest is the good of AC Milan, and not their own personal gain.
Now that’s a well-written article. Kudos for that. But I’m still sure some people will attack the author and start bashing like they always do.
“dressed in a sort of black bloc uniform and in military regalia” so F’ing what I always dress in only black just like Johnny Cash did 😛
If anything I’ve always thought AC Milans Ultras acted rather softly compared to the more crazy fan factions in the Europe, they have in fact even agreed to stop violence in between factions and other Ultras due to previous murders in the 90ies and 00’s.
They have nevertheless always been a guarantee for a great atmosphere and without them AC Milan has lost part of its soul and lure on the stadium.
Milan will stand but its far from the same AC Milan I started watching when I was a ten year old kid 36 years ago. Personally I have a hard time forgiving this bs from the ownership.
More beurocracy from the ownership. This isn’t Real Madrid, we won’t allow our ultras to be banned, we created the Ultras Movement world wide. To have them removed is an attack not just on Milan but on football.
Spot on. It’s unforgivable whitewashing of history.
Times are changing, even mafia is no longer what it once was, so either accept it or go and watch another club and a sport. It is time we have an ultra that is loud an pationate but clean, and also a loud but civilized family croud.
Forza Milan!
Left wing softy. Go protest for equal pay for women footballers
Rightwing troglodyte. Death, fear, violence, discrimination, destruction. It’s all you know.
Or maybe those who wants to turn football into tennis or golf should find themselves a different sport.
Out of thousands only 8 ultras have been convicted for violence, outside the stadium as well. Some mafia lol. Im sure there are a lot of people in the crowd in any stadium that have also done some small crime in the past, this is silly. Its obvious that they are just trying to shut down the ultras cause they were protesting against the ownership.
This. 100%
All it takes is one bad apple to spoil a whole movement… just look at Gerry.
Also, who’s telling all these ppl to boo Maldini on his last day at the club, or hold up banners, or to withdraw their support before a crucial tie in Europe….those very same few. So while the number is few their impact is large on what they present to the public as a group
That is actually not correct as it was a now defunct fan fraction that has been closed down since like 09 or something. Anywho even if people can sympathize with with the curva doesnt mean you have to agree with everthing they do and say. Personally I would pay good money to pummel each and everone who who whistled at Maldini at his last game for us. Still doesnt change the fact that banning all curva sud is well beyond idiotic.
Oh come on Martin, dont be so naive. Only a fraction sang the song Baresi is our only true captain in Maldini’s last match away to Roma? Come on now. Only a few showered Maldini with boos so loud I can hear through the Tv? A few unveiled that huge a$$ banner about mercenaries? Come on bro! Why didn’t the others whistle their own or applauded Paolo so as to drown out the boos?
They’re equally complicit. If the Curva was upset with that why didn’t they issue a formal apology of the incident just like they put out statements all the time. And especially for someone who gave so many years of service to the club. They’re a classless bunch. You can t be serious.
I’ll extend an olive branch by saying that there was apparently some choreography arranged for him for the end of the game but it didn’t get approved..so who knows, it might have been a positive message. Maybe it wasn’t approved for good reason. But the tasteless banner still existed no?
This has nothing to do with being naive as it was a section of them (Brigate Rossonere) and the reason why they did it was because Maldini had questioned their actual support after they had lost the cl final in 05 and was met with jeers by them when they came back to Milano. This was the whole reason for that debacle and whether you accept it or not doesn’t really matter as it is well known facts.
I have always been of the view that it was tactless and absolutely disgusting behavior that I would have had a difficult time accepting had I been at the stadium. Brigate Rossonere was closed down in 09.
100% agree.
Only idiot can think Curva is criminal organisation.
Probably that never go at stadium or just go like you go at cinema.
Football without supporters like Curva is not football,its like teathre with some actors who runing or lazy for runing with ball.
“A serious club would sit down at the table with what remains (probably the best part) of the Curva. They would explain what is no longer open to compromise. They would recognise the irreplaceable role of the Ultras in cheering at the stadium.”
This. The club really need to sit down with whats left of the Curva leadership (the least criminal elements), and come up with a solution.
It takes two to dance. I appreciate the sentiment that both need to come together. It’s ironic how identical both sides are in this situation, petty and in the wrong. However I’m writing off the curva, their history is nothing, they won nothing, they aren’t the only ones who cheers or sing. They trash players for petty reasons, see the treatment of Maldini for the most prominent of examples. The lead the Pioli out movement only to love him then turn on him. Their loyalty is to each other not the club. Maybe there is no compromise, maybe a new fan group is formed by the section of Milan fans who don’t toy with fascist symbolism and are more interested supporting the team than their own profit and ego. Here’s what I’d say to the ultras, you want to make money off football go found a your own club. Italy is an open league. You want to be a fan of Milan then buy a ticket and cheer or jeer.
Poor little criminals. They can’t shake down beer vendors anymore or run their ticket scalping racket, so they are going to not cheer for the players and the team they supposedly love.
These idiots think they are way more important than they are. Always looking for a reason to protest. The poor finish last season just gave them a convenient excuse. But they were protesting the prior season as well. Trying to force out a coach who brought the team its first Scudetto and in the last 4 seasons finished 2nd, 1st, 4th and second.
They claim to be passionate fans but it seems they spend more time looking for reasons to silent protest than they do cheering on the club. F Curva.
*first Scudetto in 10 years*
you are idiot and i would like you to see,to step infront if me or some from Curva and tell that at face.
You are just rat and nothing else Mk
Against Bari, the only chants you could hear were those of the Bari supporters. Without the curva, the atmosphere in the stadium is eerie.
It was against a Serie B side in the opening round of the Coppa Italia. It was basically a pre-season match. Also a pretty boring match to be honest. I expect or at least hope the crowd to be more vocal once the season starts.
It’s basically what I had said in the previous article. Personal responsibility and if you want to cheer etc…do so, most ppl enjoy the atmosphere created. Maybe then they’ll be taken more seriously by more fans and the ownership themselves. Clearly as one can see by the comments section that there’s a clear division on opinion on what the Curva means to them and wrt the club. Not everyone is on board with their messaging or how the group conducts or has conducted itself esp with regards to illicit activities.
Feels more like the club try to silence those who protest against the ownership rather than anything else.
Support Curva. Without them Milan is just name.
I hope this ownership soon will sell this club and remove for emberassing what they do for this club.
Milan is still Milan even without the Curva. The players and what they’ve accomplished for the club are many times greater than the Curva for milan