AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni has once again expressed his anger at the chaos that ensued over the weekend connected to the Bologna game.
It was on Thursday night that the news first began to circulate regarding the possibility of the match being postponed due to adverse weather in Bologna and flooding of certain areas, with the Mayor signing an ordinance marking the Stadio Renato dall’Ara unusable.
Throughout Friday various ideas emerged such as playing the match behind closed doors or moving it to a neutral venue, and at one point Milan had plans in place for four different trips to four different cities.
However, the fixture will instead have to be rescheduled as the official announcement followed that the game would not be played. Bologna’s CEO agrees with the decision, but it would be fair to say Milan do not.
Scaroni spoke at a press briefing on the occasion of the club’s Shareholders’ Meeting where the budget for the 2023-24 was approved, and he had some strong words about Saturday’s postponement.
“Let’s start by saying that I am furious because the mayor of Bologna has made an incomprehensible, unjust and unmotivated decision,” he said (via Calciomercato.com).
“Not so much about the fact of closing the stadium in the presence of a flood, for goodness sake. But about preventing us from playing the match behind closed doors. An incomprehensible decision, especially considering that other events have been allowed behind closed doors in Bologna.
“An unfair decision. We are by definition respectful when faced with an institution that makes a decision, but it was an unfair decision that has caused us serious damage.
“We believe that there are all the conditions to question the mayor’s order: we are looking at this decision from all points of view and we do not want to remain inert in the face of this damage that has been caused to us.
“We at Milan are all furious, we have been seriously wronged. The Lega, President Casini has repeatedly called the mayor to have the match played behind closed doors, but we have received an incomprehensible refusal.
“All decisions by public authorities such as those of the mayor can be susceptible to the legitimacy of the ordinances, especially when they have content that, in addition to being incomprehensible, is not understood why we could not play behind closed doors.
“The other thing is that it is unfair. It is not understood why football cannot, other things can. This opens the door to questioning the legitimacy, we enter the world of compensation for damages. The damage we have received is difficult to quantify, but not playing the match until February creates a significant problem for us.
“We are examining this issue. I am furious, and when I am furious I am active, not passive. I will dedicate myself to it.”
He already had an opportunity to do something about it and refused not to, he should just drop the matter it’s not going to change our opinion that he is a useless president. He really is just a figurehead
This is what I’m saying. Let the uppers deal with that stuff if they feel wronged. For the team just concentrate on the next game. Get on with it.
Simple…sue Bologna city hall and ask them for appropriate financial damages
This is not America.
Worse it’s Italia, so better start greasing those wheels
Milan leadership is weak. This game should have been forfeited and Milan should have been awarded the 3 points instead of the game being rescheduled.
It was not canceled by Serie A calico FGIC. So the game should be forfeited and Milan award 3-0 and 3 points. There is no other solution that Milan should seek other than the one mentioned above.
The 3-0 Forfeit only happens if Milan had travelled to the stadium and been present during the kick-off time.
The fact that they had not even travelled (I would have told them to honestly), means that the 3-0 forfeit would not be enforced.
Milan COULD have do it (Inter did it against Bologna in our Scudetto-winning season and it got revoked), but we’re too classy a club to do something petty like that.
Since the new owner came in, Milan CEO became irrational and acts like a kid in front of media, with “anger, furious, etc”. Wonder what Cardine made them to do.