While waiting for an official statement from the club, Paulo Fonseca has confirmed himself that he has left his job as AC Milan head coach.
Prior to tonight’s 1-1 draw with Roma, reports emerged stating that Fonseca might be taking charge of his last Milan match. These rumours then continued afterwards too, and it was stated by numerous sources that Sergio Conceicao will soon replace him.
After the full-time whistle, the Portuguese refuted any notion that he feels like he is on the verge of being sacked, despite the many reports suggesting otherwise.
Fonseca spoke to reporters as he left the stadium in his car and he was asked again about whether he spoke with the directors.
“Yes. I left Milan. That’s life, that’s how it is. I have a clear conscience, I did everything I could do,” he said.
Fonseca: “abbiamo parlato, sono fuori”.@PianetaMilan pic.twitter.com/KgTRh8I6SL
— Stefano Bressi (@StefanoBressi) December 29, 2024
Thank God!
Teams often don’t do well when they change coach mid-season, but I still think that the odds that we will make one of the UCL spots were pretty much no bigger than 1% with Fonseca and maybe they might be 10% with Conceição. Still overwhelmingly likely that we won’t make it and this season will be a complete loss, but we have nothing to lose at this point, so, welcome Sérgio, and good luck!
As for the mediocre Fonseca, good riddance!
I think this is just barely on the brink of time at least he had the January to buy some players he wants
Remember when Pioli almost got sacked in January 2020 where we were rn. Then came Zlatan, after that we reach uefa europa cup championship.
My Christmas prayers were answered!!!!!
Who’s this miracle worker that will increase our chances to 10%?
Fonseca was sacrifice of Cardinale very poor management of handling club.
I hope he will pay a lot of money for his bad decisions.
GRACIAS JESUCRISTO!!!! GRACIAS!!!! AHORA CON UN CAMPEÓN DE LIGA CONOCIDA!!!(CONCEICAO!!!) AUNQ LA TEMPORADA SE ACABÓ EN LIGA GRACIAS A LA DIRECTIVA PREPOTENTE!!! SOLO QUEDA SUPERCOPA, COPA DE ITALIA Y LLEGAR LO MÁS LEJOS Q SE PUEDA EN CHAMPIONS… FORZA MILAN!!!
SIGUE ESCRIBIENDO EN MAYUSCULA, POR QUE ASI ES MAS FUERTA TU MENSAJE!!! Come mierda.
Only the first year. In Fonseca’s contract it states if he is sacked within the first six months he only gets the first years salary. Leave it to Gerry to save money even upon firing someone.
I agree 100%. Fonseca was the sacrificial lamb for the low-motivated players and others not to standard, e.g. Morata, Chicuweze, Emerson Royal, Abraham, Loftus Cheek, etc.
As necessary as it was I always feel bad for somebody losing their job. Thank you fonseca for at the very least showing the flaws in this team and showing some discipline. Out of all the games where he probably should have got the sack this came out of nowhere. Maybe it was never meant to be but I’ll tell you what, the next move on who management bring in and the players bring in for January is all on them.if it fails end of season there should be no reason to keep anyone. Speaking for ibra, moncada, furlani, scaroni and cardinale.
Do you actually understand that Cardinale is the owner? He has just refinanced the vendor loan until June 2028. Until then we are stuck with him. You can’t fire the owner. Our only hope is that he decides to sell Milan. But we can’t keep or not keep the owner. The owner owns the club. It’s not the club that owns the owner.
As for all the other clowns you mentioned, I agree.
You can be an owner whilst stepping away and empowering competent people to run everything.
Like Elliot did.
Essentially firing himself from direct involvement.
But he won’t. Seems to think he is a sports management expert. But is finding his American sport experience is not so relevant to European football.
I know he’s the owner.. I’m saying I see how the curva or asking him to sell the club. If this fails, all fault should go on management and they should all leave. Clearly Gerry was wayg over his head thinking his method would work. But it’s up to him to get a grip and change that.
Gary method will work if he entrust the project in right hand of management’s. And not th3 clowns we have here at Milan.
Why no one think of hiring Tossatti with all the experience he had under Ancelotti and after.
So Sergio’s first game with Milan will be against his son, Francisco.
Damn, it’s a tough business alright. I hope he finds a club better suited to him and that he does well there.
As for Milan, well, what can we do but hope this turns things around.
Hopefully the management will change strategy and realise that cutting corners will only cost money. Missing out on ucl is far worse financially than not paying your first choice coach a few million extra (whether it was indeed Conceicao or Motta or someone else last summer)
I’m not saying we do a PSG or Man United and throw endless money at overpriced mercenaries. But there’s a balance between saving pennies and missing out on good quality. Just like the coach, same with players.
Anyway even if its yet another “transition” season, at least they acted decisively. Here’s to a better 2025 than 2024…
Forza Milan
Mediocre coach or not, he displayed more character than all of our ridiculous managers combined. We won’t go far as long as these are the people who run the club. Only naive fans would take these news enthusiastically. Our players figured out there is no ambition within the club whatsoever and stopped playing with grit. Good luck expecting Conceicao to change this route. It’s only a matter of time before you start labeling him names.
Perhaps you should spare a billion and buy the club.
Just support the club and wish they turn a page, or GTFO.
Let me guess, an American?
👍👍👍
Conceicao cheaper than fonseca, just 1 million for 6 month, half pioli salary (4 million a years).
They hope, you understand, still to reach Europe, and pay as less money as possible….
Cheap bastardos.
A decision that should’ve been made a long time ago, I’m not necessary speaking of the decision to hire Conceição but rather the one to sack Fonseca, who shouldn’t even have been hired.
He had good intentions, he attempted to do good things and he succeeded in doing stuff that Pioli failed to do, but in the end, he doesn’t have the skillset to allow us to fight for serie A or the UCL.
In the end, he ended up as the scapegoat of a very poor decision making by the management but also players who never were to his side to begin with and cared more about themselves rather than the team.
As for Conceição, he has now his work cut out for him, since he won’t have the luxury to have a preseason, and will start working with an injury riddled team.
As much as I supported the decision to hire him from the get-go, given the current circonstances, let’s not get our hopes too high.
Shame it didn’t go as hoped but hopefully we will at least be able to turn things around so we can still qualify for cl next season. It will be an uphill battle. and the management should be held accountable as well though.
Fonseca destroy our club and that is. When Leonardo go,our club going down. I dont think we will be good again at next 2 or 3 years.
Fonseca didn’t destroy anything, The damage was done in the management and Fonzie was just the scapegoat.
Good luck to Conceicao.
Hopefully he isn’t the next scapegoat for the management and certain divas in the squad.
Coach salary has decrease again.
Pioli 4 million a year.
Fonseca 2,5 million a year.
Conceicao 1 million for 6 month.
I’m not going to pretend that I know everything about conceicao besides impressive stats at Porto. But does anyone know if he is a top level coach? Is he an upgrade to pioli or fonseca?
How much can we expect from him coming in January when you could cut the tension with a knife. He’s coming into a team that the next games are Juventus and possibly inter or Atalanta with 50% of the first team out injured. More than anything we need him to turn the se players motivation back on and perhaps grow a good relationship among players like pioli had and clearly not what fonseca had.
“does anyone know if he is a top level coach?”
You’re actually asking this question in regards to a RedBird hire?
I think Conceição is a far more competent coach than Fonseca. He always made a modest group of players at Porto punch above their weight in the Champions League, for several seasons in a row. We do have some good players, but we needed a good coach and with Fonseca, that’s not what we had.
I don’t think we’ll win the Supercoppa. Like you said, half of our starters are injured including two of our four best players (Puli and Rafa; I think Reijnders and Fofana qualify as the other two and fortunately they are not injured but they must be exhausted as they play every game), and Conceição won’t have any time to study his players and come up with solutions.
However I do think that we have a higher chance of making the next UCL under Conceição than under Fonseca. Not a great chance, but a higher chance.
It’s not like I’m expecting miracles. I think the odds are still overwhelming that we won’t qualify for the next UCL, and won’t win the Supercoppa or the Coppa, and will be eliminated soon from the current UCL. The Scudetto of course is not realistic. So, I think we will win strictly nothing this season and likely won’t make the next UCL.
Still, yes, I think that Conceição is an upgrade over both Pioli and Fonseca.
Maybe the new manager bounce will land us this cup and then mediocrity once again after that. Half the team out now. The seasons already over for me I’m watching but not enjoying it. I just hope a new name lands the league and we can just write the year off without any close competitors rubbing salt into our wounds forza Atalanta
Bring back Pioli!
If it wasn’t for the Scudetto, he would have been sacked. Maldini wanted to do so before he got fired. Pioli isn’t that great,
He did well at Porto and won a good number pf domestic trophies. The rest of his career is that of a random coach.
His issue, apart from the lack of experience in the Serie A, is his character. At Braga he was sacked after a “violent discussion” with the president. At Porto he had a lot of issues with match officials, had conflicts with Porto officials and other coaches, and got his family involved in some of his public feuds.
Only time will tell how he will fare at Milan, and how he will go along with Ibra. If I were a Milan fan, I would not get too much of a hype though.
OK, but it’s not so difficult to be an upgrade over Fonseca who is utterly mediocre. So, it’s a positive move, although like you said, I think this season is already lost and nothing great will happen; still, he’s better than Fonseca.
He is more promising than Fonseca, but it also depends on how Ibra&Co will go along with him. Plus if Gerry invests some money in the January transfer window to buy a DM or something, he might have a better foundation than Fonseca.
💯 better than pioli and fosca
Conceicoa has lot of experience in Seria A as a player. He is not new to Italian Football
Why not? I can put everything you wrote in to one word, passion. This is something all top coaches do, would be less hyped if he didn’t have it
Based on performance his sacking is justified but it masks the broader incompetence of the management team. He is being made the scapegoat. Moncada also needs to go. They didnt give him the players he wanted ie he never asked for Emerson royale, he didnt have time to look at salamaekers. CDK would of done well for him if he wasnt already sold to Atlanta. Anyways conceicao should of been chosen from the onset instead of taking over mid season.
Yes, he did ask for Emerson Royal. Actually he said even BEFORE he was hired, that if he got the Milan job, he wanted Emerson Royal.
A coach that requested for this thrash Emerson Royal isn’t a coach, a coach that fails to observe the laws of power lacks focus, fighting the best and the two most powerful Leao and Theo, was a wrong move and later Tomori, I knew his days were numbered, he wasn’t getting the best out of them. Above all criticising your player openly isn’t the best way.There are ways around this things. I hope the new Coach will learn from this. Pioli should have been fired long ago but the players kept in that long.
I disagree with you that he fought leao and Theo, and maybe tomori… It is an action coaches adopt in order to get what they want from players. Take Amorim and Rashford situation for example
So… He gave us a gift that keeps on giving long after he’s gone. That’s just great…
I hope Milan management fire themselves too. Wrong choice in hiring Fonseca when Conceição was available and should have been our first choice option. They had all summer to figure it out and they hired Fonseca?
Cardinale needs to go but if he stays then he needs to sack Furlani, Moncada and Ibra. Bunch of bozos who don’t have a clue what they are doing. Smh
Good riddance.
Leaving aside results and tactics, he failed as a spokesperson. Lacked composure in press conferences and post game reactions. Was often too brash in criticizing players.
Hope the squad, the new coach and the management get on the same page. Or we are back to pre-Pioli days.
Regardless of his performance, the way he was sacked was an embarrassment. Letting the news leak that they hired a new manager before the match, not telling him after the match and letting him do all his media appearances (like on DAZN Italia when he said he was still the manager), and finally sacking him and not making a statement… which meant he confirmed it in his car, on the way out.
Did Cardinale mention this at Harvard Business School?
Shambolic.
Look, I’m not a fan of Fonseca as a manager either, but to me, this is no way to treat someone. (Not even sure if he said goodbye to the players?) Watching his press conferences, I felt he always handled himself in a professional and polite way, even with all the negativity and criticism. Hell, he was even very respectful when addressing the media in his car!!
I wish him all the best in the future. I hope he finds another club and he can implement his ideas with players who are willing to work hard for him. I think he deserves that at least.
As for Milan, we’ll see about the new manager, but the club still has serious problems. We need a real sporting director/management with a vision so we can scout, recruit, and hire based on a clear football identity… and not resort to Ibra.
Look, he isn’t a saint like you’re depicting. “Always handled himself in a professional and polite way” – no, this is not true. He threw the players under the bus repeatedly and publicly, which is unprofessional and disrespectful. Many of the comments he repeatedly made about players should have been said to the players in the locker room, not to the press.
Still, yes, the way he was fired was disrespectful. It has now surfaced that the decision was made after the 0-0 against Juve, so, they should have told him then and there, and not let him find out from the press in the post-game conference.
It has also surfaced that his contract had a clause that Milan needed to fire him within the first six months to avoid an obligation to continue to pay his salary. That explains why they had to do it before December 31st. But it doesn’t excuse the way he was treated, as a human being.
I don’t like him as a coach – very mediocre – and I don’t like that he has this habit of blaming his players publicly, so, good riddance. But yes, management also acted unprofessionally with the way he was fired.
Agree. I wasn’t a fan of his but was willing to give him a chance.
In the end. Management handled the sacking as badly as they’ve handled everything else recently.
End up eating humble pie by signing the better candidate that they could have had in the first place.
I already noticed how awful Cardinale is back when he fired Maldini and Masara without any fanfare.
Then the new management also really awful with Furlani, Ibra, and Moncada lacks the chemistry and direction.
Finally. He should have been fired in October. Good riddance. He destroyed AC Millan. This incompetent buffoon is finally gone.
Good first step. Now Ibra, Furlani, and Moncada need also to be fired.
Really nice guy. I genuinely feel for him. But he was in over his head right from the get go and was always gonna be a scapegoat for the people who thought he was an upgrade on Pioli…
Whoever made that decision should also go.
It’s about eff’en TIME
I wish Sergio Conceicao the best and hope he can turn us around – we should have hired him from the start over Fonseca.
BUT – let’s be honest the only reason this happened now is because UCL is now at risk. Had they cared about wining TITLES this move would have been made months ago. But they don’t. They just care about their PROFIT margins – that is all.
So now the goal is 4th – what ambition from Redbird! Disgusting
Fonseca the genius hire of Furlani, Zlatan and Moncada???? LOL. Fire their a$$es too – but they are Gerry’s puppets so they will get a pass.
Foolani: “i am the banker, i just think about profit. The hell with trophy”.
Foolani: “my skill is the waiting game. Look how good i am, tothenham want 20 million for emerson, with waiting game, we get emerson for 16 million, how great 1 am. “
I was very amped for this team to play higher up the pitch and press more. The players never really bought in and in the end if you don’t put pressure on players with competition they will never respect the coach.
Normally I feel bad when a coach gets sacked because at the end of the day their still a person and that’s still their job. But I don’t feel bad about Fonseca because not once did he ever take any responsibility for anything, in interviews he kept saying he had done his job perfectly with not one mistake. And I get their are some issues with player attitude at season start and we definitely needed some better signings for upper management but common mate take at least a little responsibility for some of it.
thanks for derby of Milano. however, it’s honest and mature decision to resign. sth went wrong. I wish that in another club you will do much better. to be precise, this match with Roma showed that new coach of Roma made more progress in a few weeks than Fonseca did in a few months. so it’s time for a change.
Bye Fonseca, I pray you find another job soon, but as far as your journey with Milan, you are not no good. Your man management was zero, vision zero, tactical decision zero as seen today and in previous game, a coach that have faith in Emerson Royal is obviously thrash and the worst of all fighting Milan’s best Theo and Leao, Is like sitting on a timed bomb and fighting the finger that fed you. I hope you learn your lesson.
*bitting
The drama will continue for the second half, yea… guys, pull out your popcorn!! hah
Clowndinale: “what important is become famous. Without trophy we can famous with drama. This is my american style of hollywood.”
About time! Sorry for the man on a personal level, but he definitely doesn’t have what it takes to be an AC Milan’s coach.
Milan must change head coach, recruit Ten Hag, Mancini or Sarri. But inrecomended Ten Hag its be nice if Milan work like Ajax they dont worried about player transfer caused have own youngster who can change first team player
Ten Hag: “I like Italy hehe. I I like the culture! I like the people! He! I like the country, he!”
I say hire Ten Hag
Thanks for two matches, now get the f out of here. Donkey of a coach.
thank you fonseca, even if you were just a scapegoat of these messy boards you thaught leao and theo discipline and bring the best of tijji and fofana.
He looks really calm, i think even he is happy for this the end. He is also not mentally pripared for this heavy jersey.
Wish him best with another club
Finally!!!
Hopefully the replacement isn’t another mediocre like Fonseca!
They didn’t show their face even last night, lol. The absurd level on incompetence and lack of connection with the fans is producing some pretty memorable comedic moments. This is a close as being managed by an AI get at this point.
“This is a close as being managed by an AI get at this point.”
Or you know, very close to be managed by an “algorithm”.
Thank you Fonseca for your efforts. They say strategic blunders can’t be undone by tactical corrections, this is what is happening to our beloved team.
I will call Fonseca a failure and unprofessional for this statement.
Not because he is not able to climb top 4.
He should have alllow the management to announce his departure.
We have no management. There are three clowns who are never at Milanello and who never talk about anything.
I buy into what milanelo and inter fan contributed, a publication i read lately supported this, the decission was harsh. Come on, ac milan is a big club,the club was poorly constructed by the management – they are at fault not the coach
God Bless You Mr Paulo Fonseca for help Milan this far both in the Seria A League, Coppa Italian and Championship League , God will give you a better job than Milan with good management team too insha Allah 💖💝❤️ ♥️💔❣️ 💌💟😭
So… In the summer Zlatan said they had studied Fonseca and he’s the right coach for us.
Obviously the management made a huge error and should be punished for it (and buying Emerson). Hand in your resignation if you are half the man you think you are.
Why isn’t management held accountable???
They hired the coach. They sold Kalulu & Adli – and now we need a RB and DM; they signed Emerson; they signed Pavlovic; they signed Chukuweze and Romero, Pelligrino, Okafor, Musah, Morata, Tammy; they failed to sign a Starting Striker a backup to Theo and a real DM etc….
Management took our team, that after more than a decade of trash – won a Scudetto and went to the UCL semi finals – and DISMANTLED it. Starting with M&M then Tonali.
But It doesn’t matter – there is NO ACCOUNTABILITY. Like Gerry said – his first priority is to his INVESTORS. So as long as the accounts grow nothing else really matters. Sporting results are down the list.
So unfortunately we are in this mess and there is no end in sight. Yes a better coach (like Concecieao) will get more out of the talent we have (instead of constantly fighting w players and throwing them under the bus) – but ultimately, the goals won’t change much: just be competitive enough to secure UCL spot – to protect the profit margins – THAT IS ALL. No ambition to win TITLES as that costs lots of $$$$$$$. I said it long time ago – the goal is to be we are Atalanta 2.0. – be competitive, always sell their best players, and maybe, maybe win something once in a blue moon (like Atalanta every 50 years) and make that $$$$ for the investors. To hell with the fans
Good times
I need more popcorn: the drama is getting serious!!
Ibra & Co. are not only spineless; they are also shameless. Maldini & Co. were vilified for offenses far less in proportion to what we are seeing right now, and some guys still get to keep their jobs?
It is insanity!
So they finally used their ace card SCAPEGOAT.
I was wondering when that would be played.
Ahhh Fonseca the consequences of bad decisions and not the case itself.
So Sergio is the new scapegoat eh?? They did not even announce it to him directly. 🤣🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Look at this point anyone, and I mean anyone who still glazes this management or tries to point out their positives can only be in cahoots with them. That can only be the only way. Because goddamn man.
Now the half time seasonal show at Milan has been renewed with a six month contract, and Sergio the new scapegoat actually agreed to such. 😂🤣😂😂
A new year dawns and Ac Milan ownership/management continues their set ways. And I bet nobody would be fired, and fans expect Sergio to work miracles like it’s not the same set of people behind management from. Pioli, to Fonseca that are still there.
Sergio all the best. Just like Amorim, beware all who enters into this realm of Milan where common sense foresight is lacking.
Asked me in summer, I much much prefer Conte, the name you all don’t like. But we may stay in UCL zone now.
It may be all ours to be blamed. Bring Fonseca and give him half a way to present with many questions to solve. And change, change, etc.