Unity is among the most important things at a football club in the good times, and more importantly in the bad. Today, reports have suggested that there is a split at AC Milan between Paulo Fonseca and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
It has been a rough start to the season for Milan, and there are no signs of anything getting better with Inter hosting the Rossoneri this weekend. The problems do not just end on the pitch, though, which probably explains the poor results on the pitch.
As Luca Bianchin reports for Gazzetta dello Sport (via Radio Rossonera), there is a rift between Ibra and Fonseca, that has developed in three parts. Worryingly, it is stated that the two are ‘no longer on good terms’ which is woeful between the owner’s vessel and the leader of the team.
It is believed that the rift first opened when Ibrahimovic spoke to the team without Fonseca’s presence at Milanello. Then it deepened when the Portuguese head coach stated there would be no more additions, only for the Swede to state “The coach is the coach, the management does the rest. The market closes when I say so” which caused Fonseca to complain about his stance.
The final showing of the split occurred this week before the Liverpool game when Ibrahimovic stated that ‘even if he was far away, he remains the boss’.
With conversations taking place after the Liverpool game about Fonseca’s future, the rocky relationship could be a reason why the Diavolo move on. Nevertheless, it is a concerning factor that a rift is in place, and it cannot happen again if a split occurs.