Adriano Galliani, Milan’s vice president, doesn’t like the Financial Fair Play. “In football you can’t act like a business”, he said, and forgot about clubs like Arsenal, Lyon or Porto. “If I buy nobody and try to break even the fans will chase me through the streets”.
He continued: “Without the generosity of their patrons, Milan, Inter and Juventus would never have become what they are”. He also doubted if youth policies could be successful: ”If you develop a Messi you save money on transfer but if you can’t then pay him the wages on offer in Spain he will leave anyway”.
He ended up saying that Italian “clubs will wind up like Ajax, Benfica and Celtic who once upon a time won the Champions League”.
All I can say about that is: What a loser.
He sums up one of the biggest problems of Italian football – the need for a “patron”.
Milan is one of the most supported clubs in Italy and the world – it should really be one of the richest clubs in the world and live without the help of its wealthy (and horny) owner.
In many ways, Galliani is old school football administrator. He might get you a great deal on a Swedish superstar, he also believes that and winning is the only thing that will please the fans. He ignores the massive importance of the community in football.
Galliani’s attitude is what’s wrong with one of Europe’s biggest football nations – Instead of working their bottoms off in order to clean up the game, get the fans more involved, focus on their relative strength (tactical astute) and grow more Maldinis and Baresis, he trusts the lord to save them. Pathetic.
WHAT TO DO NOW?