Cocirio admits Milan need success in order to be sustainable: “It is possible”

In recent years, the profits vs. performance debate has been more prominent than ever. AC Milan need to find a balance and so far, they haven’t. 

There has been a big focus on the accounts recently and it almost feels like there is a slight obsession with the numbers there, rather than the ones in the Serie A table. Of course, they both influence each other.

However, the Rossoneri have become accustomed to fourth place being ‘enough’ rather than the bare minimum. The fallout from last season almost feels like it was so substantial due to its effects on the accounts, rather than the sporting issues.

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Admissions about sustainability and success

Of course, there were wholesale changes this summer, but there are still frustrations about the ambitions of the club. Today, the Chief Financial Officer of the Rossoneri, Stefano Cocirio, spoke at a conference and he discussed the ambitions of the club from a financial perspective.

How can a club like Milan be economically virtuous but also sportingly virtuous?

“I’d like to make a very brief introduction. The question is absolutely valid, but perhaps in the world of football we’ve become a bit accustomed to the question. You can be competitive in sport and financially self-sufficient.

“I don’t think there are any other sectors where people wake up in the morning and ask themselves. “Can we build good infrastructure and make money?” Football has incentives that lead to a financial imbalance, such as Champions League qualification for those who aspire to be at the top of the table and avoid relegation.

“Every day in football teams, there will be very rational conversations that lead a management team to say, “I’ll spend more in the hope of achieving the objective or avoiding catastrophe.” It’s possible to combine sporting competitiveness and financial stability in the world of football.

“I think it can be done, but a few ingredients are needed. First of all, sometimes the two are seen as opposites. In reality, in the medium term, there can be no financial sustainability, at least for a team of AC Milan’s size and prestige, without success on the pitch.

“Success on the pitch tends to drive financial sustainability, not the other way around. Once this dynamic is established, there are fewer obstacles to maintaining financial sustainability and continuing to be successful on the pitch.

“There are many virtuous examples in Europe: Bayern Munich, let’s all see how they play.”

How important is it for you to finish in the top four this year? Your transfer strategy is also being reviewed based on that…

“The Champions League, as you know, certainly brings a team like AC Milan between €60 and €90 million in revenue. Being in the Champions League is crucial. It allows us to develop a different plan over the summer, certainly more ambitious, and allows us to focus more on the future and not on managing each individual year.”

It appears that for now, the target will remain Champions League qualification and then we may see what an ‘ambitious window’ looks like. With the gap to Inter only being extended, something must change…