AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni stopped short of confirming that Stefano Pioli will remain as the head coach, while he reflected on the season and what has disappointed him about the campaign.
It is accurate to say that it has not been a very good recent period for Milan, who were beaten 3-1 on aggregate by Roma in the Europa League quarter-finals this month and 2-1 by Inter in Monday night’s derby.
That means that the Rossoneri are heading into the final five games of the campaign with very little to play for, and the certainty of going another season without a trophy after the 2021-22 Scudetto success.
It was the loss against the Nerazzurri that really hit home and seems to have brought Pioli’s tenure to an end, given that it was the sixth loss in a row in the Derby della Madonnina and it handed Inter the title.
Scaroni was present at the Il Foglio Sportivo event at San Siro this lunchtime and he answered some questions from the journalists present, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
How do you feel after the derby loss?
“The day before last at San Siro it was a heavy, difficult day. We would like to win against Inter every now and then, we have lost too many games in a row. But the season isn’t over yet: we have to fight to defend second place.
“But I consider the season good, maybe not excellent. We have had many injuries and we need to reflect on this. But all in all we got through this too. Inter fully deserved to win the title. I congratulate Inter, Marotta and Antonello.”
Can you confirm that Pioli will not be Milan’s coach next season?
“No, I won’t confirm it. Our coach is Pioli, at the moment and until the end of the season he will be the one. I’m counting on Pioli to make us win the matches we want to win to guarantee us second place.
“Then at the end of the season Pioli and the management will make assessments for the future, I would like to avoid this topic until the end of the season.”
Who disappointed you this season?
“It’s not that they disappointed me, every now and then I found the Milan defence in the stands behind me. Tomori, Thiaw, Kalulu: all injured and I thought about the defence there with me rather than on the pitch. It’s not just this, but it was an ingredient negative of the season.”
How are relations with Maldini?
“I never heard from him again. When someone looks at their past with a certain level of acrimony, it means that they are not living the present very well. I hope that this is not the case with Maldini. I wish Maldini a personal life full of satisfaction.”
Marotta said that the Italian players were fundamental for the scudetto, a core…
“In general when Marotta says something I tend to give him a lot of credit, I think he is the person who knows the most about football in Italy. It’s true, having more Italian players is a desirable thing.
“Then you have to find them, it’s not an easy combination. This year we brought Gabbia back who proved to be very useful for our season.”
You tried to reduce Serie A to 18 teams, Galliani defined it as a crude attempt…
“Savoir-faire lessons from Galliani… I can’t be crude, I will have him explain it to me who has done it many times successfully in the past, going to 18 teams will be a matter of force: it will happen because we can no longer continue like this and play so many games.
“It puts the health of our players at risk, I believe we must do something competition from FIFA, the calendars become unsustainable. Ask Casini [president of Lega Serie A] how much effort we have to put together the calendars.”
What can you tell us about the new stadium?
“San Donato more than an option, we spent more than 40 million on the land. The project always moves forward with all the Italian problems, because as long as there is a noisy minority, politics always takes a step back.
“Sala asked us to reconsider the hypothesis of a light but satisfactory renovation of San Siro by June. We could only access the pact with the mayor and therefore we are waiting to know what this restructuring means for the facility, for the public with the closed sectors of the stadium while we play. Reconciling this with work has always been the problem that Milan has had.”
This confirms that they are having difficulty in replacing pioli with someone who would be compelled to deliver big results on an average budget.
Welcome to modern football. The last big spenders I think have already established themselves (City/PSG) and the rules gradually change so that even they have to comply somewhat and maintain good financials and simultaneously lock the doors for future big cash clubs. Let’s not kid ourselves, the reason Milan under Berlusconi achieved so much is that apart from his passion for football, etc. he had a lot of dirty money to launder and was narcissistic grandoman. He was the ‘Arab money’ of the 80s and 90s. He did excellent for the club, but that is not a sustainable model in modern world. So our fans should get used to that – success built on gradual improvement of the project and financially sensible spending.
Scaroni is just a clown and puppet.
Scaroni is piece of sh1t!
I’m not surprised he never heard from Maldini, a gentleman.
How dare he question or insult him.
Maldini has kept very quiet, bar that 1 interview, which told a lot about the people in charge, not least Scaroni.
This FOOL should be 1st out the door!!
Maldini was a world class superstar, played for Milan his entire career, his family history with Milan.
Maldini single handedly brought Milan back to CL matches and the top of Serie A.
There is NO (0%) chance Theo or Leao would have signed for Milan given how bad we were, if Maldini wasn’t the one to make the call.
Scaroni is a corrupt businessman. Comparing the two is obscene is every single way.
I would take Maldini back in a heartbeat and SACK the entire backroom Milan staff. Moncada, Scaroni, Furlani and Cardinale.
Unfortunately, Milan is not run by football people with football minds. It is now run by corrupt businessmen who’s only purpose is to make $$$. They could care less about the team.
Moneyball Moncada is there to buy low and sell high. He’s a player broker.
Build a team? NAH
Buy cheapo french players, play them despite team doing poorly overall, sell the good ones for $$$. Rinse and repeat.
This management has DESTROYED Milan. If you don’t see it already, you will again after next season.
Wouldn’t surprise me one single bit if they keep Pioli too. It’s all about the profits and coach firings cut into their bottom line. It was never about football for them, it’s only about $$$.
We went from a passionate leader of Milan. The heart and soul. To a corrupt black heart that could care less about the team, only the profit.
Well said.
Over the past 24 years at least 4 new stadiums have been built in England – 3 in London alone (Arsenal; Tottenham; Wembley) and one in the northwest (Manchester City). Everton are currently building a new stadium in Liverpool, which is due to open for the 2025/26 EPL season. How many new stadiums have been built in Italy during this period – only one (Juventus)? The long delay in building a new stadium for AC Milan – on the site of the current San Siro or elsewhere – is scandalous. How can leading Italian football clubs compete successfully at the highest levels in Europe when they face such formidable logistical obstacles domestically? Serie A was once the envy of the world; now it has become a basket case. Where is the political will to change this? I’m encouraged to hear that Gerry Cardinale wants to tackle this problem as a matter of priority in his quest to revive the Rossoneri and restore them to their previous place at the top of European football.
Ouch this line from Maldini must have been a nail in the head for this old man.
“Milan deserves a president who only looks after its interests and managers who don’t leave the team alone. He never asked if the players and team needed encouragement.
“I often saw him leave when the opponents equalised or took the lead, perhaps just to avoid encountering traffic, but punctually in the front row for the Scudetto. I have a different concept of sharing and groups.”
Wembley stadium in London was where England triumphed in the World Cup final in 1966; where Man Utd won the European Cup for the first time in 1968; and where FA Cup finals were played annually for decades. Despite these and other significant historical links, the English had no hesitation in pulling the old stadium down and building the new Wembley on the same site. They embraced change – a new world-class state of the art stadium – whilst at the same time maintaining a degree of continuity – building the new facility on the same iconic site as its predecessor. If the English, who pride themselves on the great importance they put on respecting tradition, can do that, why can’t Italians, who have historically been more imaginative and futuristic? Why all the interminable dithering and delay over the new AC Milan stadium? Demolish the Guiseppe Meazza and replace it with a dazzling 21st century stadium? And do that today – not tomorrow!
Incidentally, I forgot to mention in my earlier post: the English also built a track and field stadium in London for the 2012 Olympics, which is now being used by West Ham FC. That’s 4 new stadiums in London since the turn of the century! And Milanese are still arguing about what to do with the San Siro. Shame on Italy!
AC Milan can employ the best coaches in the world (e.g. Guardiola, Ancelotti, Klopp, Tuchel), but if it’s unable to buy and retain the best players because of severe financial constraints, none of these gaffers can guarantee the club success on the pitch. Money doesn’t always bring supremacy; but without it, you have little or no chance of reaching the summit and staying there. The yardstick by which the success of the Rossoneri should be judged isn’t just how many Scudettos, but also how many Champions League cups they win. AC Milan has been the flagship of Italian football in Europe. The Rossoneri, despite the recent decline in their fortunes, still have won more European/Champions League trophies than any other club except Real Madrid. The top table of European football is where they belong, and to which they must return. But to do that, Gerry Cardinale must move on a number of fronts simultaneously: (1) build a new, state-of-the art stadium in Milan ASAP; (2) diversify the club’s income streams; (3) bring in additional, well-heeled investors; and (4) most important of all, work with other leading European clubs (e.g. Juventus, Inter, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico, Bayern, PSG) to rectify the fundamental problem at the heart of European club football – the very large disparity in TV rights revenues between the EPL and other European leagues – by establishing a continent-wide, merit-based, multi-divisional league (with or w/out EPL participation) to replace national leagues. Continental Europe must shed its parochialisms and unite, or it will likely perish in the face of the EPL juggernaut. Why is Paolo Scaroni silent about this financial imbalance tearing European football apart? A multi-divisional continental league will have the clout, pedigree, cachet, and appeal to successfully challenge the EPL’s stranglehold on lucrative global TV revenues. If English clubs are far-sighted, they’ll leave the EPL and join the new league, because it will be to their long-term economic advantage to do so. In a world that’s rapidly contracting in size due to exponential advances in communication and transportation, a continental league represents the future of European football.
When will this old fat one-eyed walrus just stop talking? He is useless and just collects a fat paycheck. Every time he speaks he devalues the reputation of the club. Apparently he’s till salty at Maldini for calling him out as the “first one out of the stadium to head to the car port when we lost but first one in line for the photo when we won” comment LOLOLO
Not to be ungrateful but Scaroni came at a time when the club had bad finances. Now that we’re out of that bubble, and not to sound ungrateful but we need less Scaroni and more a team player.