Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the final game of the 2022-23 season, the next campaign has already been thrust into serious doubt.
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MilanNews writes how after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s farewell to football at San Siro, there may be more tears shed yet. Gerry Cardinale has decided to fire Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara from their position as technical and sporting director.
There is still no official announcement, but the decision has now been made. Yesterday morning, Cardinale met Maldini in a hotel in the centre of Milan, but there was no discussion between the two.
Instead, the RedBird Capital founder simply communicated to the club legend that there is no longer a place for him in the RedBird-branded Milan and that – together with Massara – he would have to pack up his things.
It was a decision without appeal, a full-fledged dismissal despite the results (three Champions League qualifications, a Scudetto win and a Champions League semi-final) suggesting that the project led by the Maldini-Massara duo was achieving everything asked of it.
The decision was not the result of a sudden change of strategy, but is the result of numerous differences between the parties that have been known for several months now.
Even in the past season Maldini and Massara risked leaving and only stayed because they renewed their contract on the final night before expiry, but they had remained at the helm via a compromise with the administrative part of the management.
It is a compromise that then failed with the subsequent and disappointing summer transfer window and the different ambitions of the parties for the near future.
In all likelihood, Giorgio Furlani – the current CEO – and scout chief Geoffrey Moncada will now have more power. Milan are bound for revolution.
