Curva Sud explain their decision not to attend Milan’s Raduno: “We welcome Fonseca”

Today, AC Milan have welcomed Paulo Fonseca to Milanello for the first time, but the Curva Sud were not present at the welcoming. However, they have published a statement explaining their reasoning. 

In the past few months, there has been a lot of unrest around Milan and the fans, and this has been represented by the Curva Sud’s protests at the end of the season. There were several reasons why they occurred, but most were due to the direction the club may be heading.

Everyone around the club understands the importance of the window, and whilst inside the club it may be serene, there are demands for the club to get things right from the outside rather than risking another repeat of the 2022 summer mercato.

Last summer, the club got it right for the majority of the time, and the decision to sell Sandro Tonali was bittersweet – his departure allowed the squad to improve at the cost of a fan favourite departing.

This summer, the same fears exist, and with the mercato now open and Paulo Fonseca arriving for his first official day in the job, it is now time for action to be taken.

As relayed by Antonio Vitiello on his X account, the Curva Sud published this statement, which reads:

“With the now traditional Milanello gathering, Milan’s new season officially kicks off on Monday, but unlike what has happened for several years now, the organized fans will not be present. The massive renewal of season tickets by the Rossoneri people, despite the substantial price increases, once again underlines the unconditional love for these colours as well as the trust placed in the work of the club, which has recently exposed itself with declarations on the ambitions for the present and the future of Milan.

“However, the gathering has always been a day of celebration in which to say goodbye to the team, the coach and the new signings. This year however, also thanks to the European Championship which sees our most representative players involved and which certainly slows down some transfer negotiations, it will be a gathering with the squad reduced to a minimum and without new signings to welcome,” the statement continued.

“We certainly welcome Mister Fonseca, hoping that the pitch will consecrate him as a coach worthy of the history of this club. We will have time and opportunity to greet the team as usual before the start of the championship.”

Rather than this being a continuation of a protest, it is more due to the limited squad that will be at the Raduno. However, the fact that the Curva is supportive of Fonseca will be massively impactful among the fanbase, especially after the previous unrest.