AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni has insisted that qualifying for the next edition of the Champions League is ‘fundamental’ and commented on a difficult current moment for the team.
Milan were beaten 2-0 by Spezia yesterday as they dropped more points in the top four race against a side who are battling relegation, with a real possibility that the Rossoneri will be relying on a new punishment for Juventus if they are to get to the UCL next season.
That came after another equally as damaging 2-0 loss, namely the one against Inter in the first leg of the semi-final clash which has created a mountain to climb in the return fixture if Pioli’s side are to book a place in the Istanbul final.
Scaroni spoke on stage at the Milan Football Week organised by La Gazzetta dello Sport and he was asked about a number of different topics from the tie against Inter to the new stadium project, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
On the current moment: “Yesterday afternoon I wasn’t in a great mood, but I improved today in view of the derby.”
On Milan’s rollercoaster path: “I experienced the very troubled period of Milan sportingly and financially of the Chinese Milan. We were even nearly short of pennies to register for the season, a difficult period. And then this wonderful ride that took us to the Scudetto in the semi-final of the Champions League: it was to be expected from Milan, I didn’t imagine it.”
On the targets for the season: “I’m a man of numbers. In the budget we wrote about going through the first round, the second and now I want to beat Inter. I realise it’s not easy, but football always reserves surprises.
“Who among you would have bet that we would have won 0-4 in Naples? Instead it happened: when there is a united and compact team, which gives it its all, no goal is precluded. For this reason, I remain confident, even though I tell you that we are beyond our expectations.”
On the Milan derby: “I’m going to the derby at the stadium because it’s such a wonderful sight even for a non-football fan. It’s a triumph for football in Milan. Spectacles of this type allow us to gain a worldwide audience: on this we must take gigantic steps forward and the European derby is a gigantic step forward.”
On qualifying for the next Champions League: “For me it’s a fundamental terrain for our future. We have many fans everywhere who need to see Milan in the Champions League: Milan in the Champions League is the sine qua non for them to support you.
“In Indonesia we don’t sell Serie A, they see us in the Champions League, it is a fundamental ingredient to feed our popularity. Our fans get old if we don’t do well in the Champions League: already being there and doing well means feeding our international audience.”
On the discussion between the team and the Curva at the end of the match last night: “I had already turned off the TV, but I’m told it was an episode of encouragement and sympathy that shows the attachment of the Curva’s fans to the team: when things go well, they everyone is capable, when they go wrong… it was a positive thing.”
On the renewal of Leao: “I don’t think we have announced the closure of the renewal, because it is such a complicated dossier that it requires a whole series of fine-tuning. When I go to Casa Milan and see Furlani and Maldini smiling, this gives me confidence that we are almost at the end of this process. For the moment we are confident and optimistic.”
On the stadium issue: “I take comfort in thinking that our country is like this and I’m not the only one who has established himself in making this type of construction…
“Don’t imagine how hard it is to explain Italian things to a foreign owner; not necessarily negative things. San Siro was built in 1955, so in 2025, once it turns 70, a building is subjected to analysis if it deserves to be listed as a historic asset. It’s a theme that further complicates an already difficult topic that makes us dizzy a bit.
“La Maura is almost out of the picture. I say almost because logically it is perfect, given its sporting history and its size, today it is closed to the public. The stadium could be built by occupying a small part of these 75 hectares, so in my opinion the project has its own logic and it doesn’t seem to me that it would have a devastating effect on that area.
“There are constraints, protests, oppositions in the city council… From this point of view, Sala is on our side and thinks like me about La Maura. We have in mind other areas outside the municipality of Milan, metropolitan areas of the Milan area. We have two: a faster one and a slightly slower one.”
