Milan Futuro did not have the best first season as they suffered relegation to the fourth tier of Italian football. Yet, the response has been questionable.
The relegation to Serie D is a historic for the Futuro, because for the first time in Italian football a second team is relegated to the amateur level. Seven years ago, Milan had to suffer the shame of the relegation of its Primavera team to the second division, so there is precedent for mismanagement.
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The play-off defeat against SPAL in May condemned Milan’s shiny new B-team project to a colossal first year failure, in which the club had changed head coach multiple times and failed to really develop the talents at all.
Warning signs
The appointment of Jovan Kirovski as the director of the project was the first questionable move, because it was clear from day one that he is merely Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s friend and does not have the credentials.
The choice of coach probably should have been Ignazio Abate, who had done so well with the Primavera. He took them to the Final Four of the UEFA Youth League twice, exiting in the semi-final in their first year while and then losing in the final to Olympiacos the next year.
Instead, the bizarre decision was made to shuffle the cards, and here Ibrahimovic’s name emerges again. Abate was sacked because he was guilty of not giving space in the Primavera to Zlatan’s eldest son, Maximilian.
As proof, after Ignazio’s dismissal came that of his father Beniamino, who in the meantime had become goalkeeping coach for the women’s first team. Antonio D’Ottavio – the sporting director by name – was also dismissed after disagreeing with the Swede.
Daniele Bonera was named head coach and did not last the season, with results disappointing and the prospect of direct relegation remaining quite large. Massimo Oddo came in and did his best, getting a relegation play-off shot, though the team fell apart in the second leg.
Puzzling reaction
If you are looking to learn why relegation matters in soccer, do not ask Milan’s technical director, Geoffrey Moncada. When asked about the drop for the Futuro, his response generated controversy.
“We created Milan Futuro to create players. We had seven players who played in Serie A with Milan, never before had there been so many from the academy. Playing in B, C or D is not that important for us.
“For us it is important to create talent. It is the first year, the important thing is to create players. Milan Futuro will play in Serie D.”
Oddo meanwhile was asked to clarify the comments Moncada made before the 2025-26 season started, something that he should never have had to do, but actually responded to quite well.
“Moncada was misunderstood; he meant it’s important to play a different style of football than youth football. However, in Serie C, you also need slightly older players to help the younger players, but in Serie D there isn’t such a great need,” he said.
“Ours will be an extremely young team, where 17-year-olds will be playing the football of the seniors. We’re talking about guys who are technically and tactically more advanced than at their level, but in this category, they’ll find plenty of opponents to suit them.
“Situations and characteristics they’d never find in the youth sector. Physicality, experience, cunning, and so on. If a boy has potential and perhaps has already gained experience in the Primavera, it’s better for him to play in Serie D.”
How will the Futuro get on this season? So far the signs are mixed. A win in round one was followed by being two goals up after 62 minutes in the second league game. However, a collapse to draw 2-2 showed familiar cracks.
