Another interview with AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale has been published, with a lot of the same themes of disappointment emerging.
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La Gazzetta dello Sport have spoken to Cardinale after Corriere della Sera did too, and they write that he seemed ‘angry’. About the results, of course, but even more so with those who question his desire and his urgency to win.
He also appeared to be disappointed, because after a good season the team are at risk of throwing away the minimum aim. The analysis of what worked and what didn’t has already (obviously) begun, but the Rossoneri have two games to take care of their own destiny.
Cardinale doesn’t speak often, so if he does now, it’s because it’s a sensitive time. He believes it’s useful to bring order to the noise that surrounds Milan, where many different reports are trying to add to the confusion.
The summer will bring changes, that’s for sure. Without wanting to draw definitive conclusions, it doesn’t seem like a minor detail that the name ‘Max’ appears three times in half an hour of conversation.
Why did you decide to speak?
“As you know, I don’t usually give interviews. I think words are worthless: facts should speak for themselves. But I understand that, at a time like this, it’s right to send a clear message.”
What’s happening to your Milan in free fall?
“Max and the team have done a great job for almost the entire season. We were top of the table, in contention for the Scudetto until the match against Lazio. And then in the last five games, we risked throwing the season away.
“I’ve been in sport for three decades. I know these things happen, but that doesn’t make you feel any better. Now we’re focused on winning the last two games. But, I have to say, we’re operating in a difficult context: so much controversy and so many lies. Frankly, I’m a little disappointed.”
Is there anything you want to deny right away?
“For example, that I’m only interested in money and not in winning. It’s absurd. If you look at my life and my career, I’ve always won. So, this idea that I would do something without the goal of being number one and winning consistently is ridiculous.
“But results should speak for themselves, and when performances don’t reach their potential like they are now, I’m definitely on edge. I don’t coach, I don’t score goals, I don’t defend, but I can do my part.
“My part is to provide the financial resources so we can continue to field a winning team, not just in Serie A, but, hopefully, in Europe as well. That’s my job, and I’m pretty good at it.
Let’s go back to the disappointing results…
“I’m not happy, obviously. Max isn’t happy, the players aren’t happy. Winning remains the priority, and I can assure you that everyone wants to win. Not winning the Scudetto is a disappointment. If we don’t finish in the top four, it’s a failure.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries; now, for example, Luka (Modric, ed.) is out: that’s the way it is. You can’t always win, even if Milan should, but when they don’t, it’s a failure. But let me add one thing.
“I come from a culture where, when someone stumbles, we help them get back up, not try to erase them. Now the team is stumbling, so I’d like to tell everyone who cares about the team to support them and not demoralise them. We have two games to win, let’s stay focused.”
But the fans are protesting against the team and the management. How do you feel about it?
“I don’t blame the fans for being angry – I’m angry too. They’re as passionate as I am. But let’s try to support our players instead of tearing them down. I feel a huge sense of responsibility. When we fall short and I see the fans’ reaction, I take it very personally, I’m shocked.
“It gets under my skin, and I feel a huge obligation to fix things with an urgency that no one should question. I wake up every morning with the desire to win and a deep sense of disappointment and frustration when we don’t.”
Ambition is crucial. Many fans fear that financial sustainability or Champions League qualification will become end points, rather than a means to compete at higher levels…
“I’m surprised this needs explaining. Since I’ve owned AC Milan, we’ve achieved financial results that exceeded expectations; we’ve recorded positive cash flow for the first time in our history. Why is this important? Because I’m not taking that money and putting it in my pocket, I’m reinvesting it.
“But the narrative that financial discipline means not wanting to win makes no sense. Over the last three seasons, we’ve spent more than any other Serie A team on the market. Now, maybe we haven’t spent it wisely. I give myself a higher grade for the money I’ve invested than for how we’ve spent it.
“We need to do a better job of establishing a direct correlation between spending and winning. We haven’t managed that yet. We haven’t done a good job, and we’ll fix that.
“We need to examine the structure and the football side of things and collaborate with the coaching staff and the sporting director to understand how we can work better together.”
So what will happen in the summer? Do you think many changes will be necessary at Milan, at all levels? In the management and the technical department…
“We’re always trying to evolve our organisation. So yes, everyone should expect that every season, but especially those where performances fall short of expectations, everything is reevaluated, and I will reevaluate everyone and everything this summer.
“I’ll dedicate my entire summer to this, you should assume I’m already thinking about it, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing my job. Let’s see how we end up, then I’ll sit down…
“I’ve already sat down with Max, and we’ve talked about a lot of things. We’ll get to work once the season is over, now is not the time to talk about it.”
Can you at least tell us which direction things might go?
“The goal is to improve the organisation and bring it to a world-class level. The goal here is to win as much as possible every year, but also to ensure that, while we do so, we’re laying the foundation for consistent success.
“We could spend a fortune, signing established players and aiming for immediate success. But what happens next? We need to do both. This summer, we’ll examine the organisation and see what we can do to fill the gaps, because we haven’t been up to par.
“It’s not just about replacing people, but about examining the organisational structure and making sure we have everything in place, from the coaching staff to the player selection team, to the sporting director, to the academies: it’s a holistic ecosystem that needs to be improved.
“When I took over the team, it wasn’t there. Sport, like many industries, is about people. You need to have the best people, you need to attract the best people in all areas. We’re not there yet.”
What have you learned in these four years? Have you made any mistakes?
“Yes, of course I’ve made mistakes. Many. This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But I’m a fighter and I won’t stop until I win. One of the biggest lessons was understanding how different the context is.
“If you don’t live it, as an American, you don’t understand the role that soccer and Milan have in the community. But I wish we’d focused more on the crucial issues: the importance of sports infrastructure; how to modernise Italian soccer; why Italy missed another World Cup, the third in a row.
“Instead, there’s controversy. You see, it’s not just about Serie A. It’s about missing the Champions League finals and losing 5-0; it’s about playing competitively in Europe. It’s about the 4-1 gap in TV rights between the Premier League and all the others.
“The gap in Italian soccer has widened. But, the way the world is going today, you can’t solve it without money. And I have experience with money, but I’ve also spent 30 years in sports. I don’t want to directly transfer how we do things in America.
“I’m I’m fully aware that things are different in Italy and that I have to adapt to this, and I need to surround myself with great Italians who can help me with this; it’s part of the learning process.”
The stadium plays a key role in your growth strategy: after delays and bureaucracy, are you still optimistic?
“Here too, it’s important to understand why we’re doing this. It’s not a real estate deal, it’s not an ego project. It’s about improving AC Milan’s financial profile so we can compete for the best players in the world.
“It’s also, among other things, something we should do for the people of Milan. Milan deserves to have a world-class stadium, to be recognized globally as the home of sport, and to celebrate its culture. That’s not the case right now.”
Finally, can you tell us something about the NBA Europe project?
“The NBA is probably the only truly international sport that comes from the United States. And as it turns out, the days of the Dream Team with Michael Jordan, Magic, and Larry Bird are over. You saw it at the Olympics, you saw it in the fact that many of the recent NBA MVPs came from Europe.
“So Europe has really become a powerhouse when it comes to basketball, and there’s a huge opportunity for collaboration between America and Europe, which is music to my ears. But even here, I think about it in terms of: ‘How does this help AC Milan?’
“The Euroleague has existed for 26 years, most of the teams are unprofitable. It’s not sustainable. So I think it’s the European soccer clubs that need to collaborate with the NBA and bring NBA basketball to Europe. And that’s what I’ll try to do in Milan
“The goal is to continue to elevate the AC Milan brand, offer opportunities to the fans, continue to improve our financial profile. So it’s all part of an ecosystem where everyone should benefit. from each other.”