Before the Derby della Madonnina, Gerry Cardinale spoke about several things such as changing Serie A, and why he purchased AC Milan. Today, the interview has been released, and the owner could begin speaking more after the win against Inter.
Criticism has been rife for everyone at Milan this season, and some has been directed at Cardinale for several reasons. Starting the season as the Rossoneri did always opens the door to negativity, and the owner has certainly been a focus.
In the summer mercato, the Diavolo had a net spend of around €40 million, and the owner wanted to spend more, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn’t see the need – creating a new talking point in itself. Questions have since been asked why more wasn’t spent regardless.
Additionally, the hiring of Paulo Fonseca has been scrutinised, especially after a poor start to the season, but after the derby, doubts may be retracted slightly.
Yesterday, Cardinale spoke at the Giornata dello Sport Italiano nel Mondo in New York, and his words have been relayed by Calciomercato.com.
The Milan purchase…
“When we [RedBird] bought Milan, it was to bring to Italy what we do for a living. There is a much bigger strategy than what we play every week in Italy, which is to win matches.”
The derby…
“Today [yesterday] we play against our colleagues from Inter. It’s the derby and that’s the goal. But, you know, if people like me and Stephen Pagliuca have come to Serie A, I think this kind of meeting and discussion is fundamental.”
Changing Serie A…
“When I look at Serie A and Milan, I wear several hats [as a fan]: the Milan one, the Serie A one and the Italy one.
“The concept of Made in Italy should return. It is the highest premium quality globally: think Ferrari, think Loro Piana, think Brunello Cucinelli. We should think of Serie A in the same way. We used to think of Serie A in the same way, but then the world changed. And now when we talk about football on a global level and think about the highest quality, we talk about England, the Premier League.”
Bringing back the top…
“And one of the things I would like to do as a director of Milan and as a participant in Serie A is to work with it and all the members of the Italian ecosystem to bring Italy back to what it was in terms of global European football. I think this is fundamental. I see Serie A as one of Italy’s greatest exports.”
It’s not only winning that counts…
“This cannot be done if we only focus on winning matches. We can’t do it if we don’t innovate if we don’t change this paradigm throughout European football, where there seems to be this implicit notion that you have to spend whatever it takes to win, as if there is a direct correlation between spending and winning. And I think I’ve already said that, and that’s the level we need to reach in Serie A.”
Never like Arabia or Qatar
“It’s not about spending like a Middle Eastern government, which you will never do. It’s about spending an incremental euro of capital in a better, smarter, more innovative way. What I do in America for a living, investing in sports, is always a public-private partnership. You need municipalities, you need governments. These are public goods that you have a responsibility to provide for your community.”
The fans…
“In America, the person who spends the money to buy the teams is the team owner. In Italy, I think the fans believe that the team is owned by them and we have a job to do to satisfy this concept. But what I’m trying to do, and I’m not getting much help in the Italian ecosystem, is a partnership between all the participants in the value chain: the fans, the local government, the national government, and the capital to build our infrastructure.
“We have the European Championship coming up in 2032. I’m trying to make a stadium in Milan and with that, there should be a wave of improvements throughout Serie A, so that we become more competitive.
A message…
“My message to the fans doesn’t seem to be working, so I would say the message to the fans is that I won’t give you any message until we win. Because I understand that is the only thing you are interested in. But I will do my job and we will do everything we can to win. But win intelligently. And if I do that, we will be long-lived. And we will contribute to the growth of the whole ecosystem, as I believe is our duty.”