Cardinale ‘offers an outstretched hand’ to Milan fans with Qatar speech

Gerry Cardinale gave an interview on stage at the Qatar Economic Forum yesterday and as part of it he looked to reassure AC Milan fans regarding his vision for the club.

The last two home games have been very quiet at San Siro and seen a lot fewer flags and banners because the ultras are protesting. It is a period of uncertainty for the club, which has left supporters demanding answers.

This morning’s edition of Tuttosport (via PianetaMilan) has a section dedicated to his words during the segment with Bloomberg, in which he spoke about investments in the world of sport, football and, obviously, also the Rossoneri.

“The answer is that in these years as owners of Milan we have implemented exactly what we expected. But knowing the situation only in theory and experiencing it first hand makes a difference. I say this because our ‘partners’ in Milan are the fans and I take this very seriously,” he said.

Amid the recent protests about a perceived lack of clarity and ambition from the ownership by the fans, Cardinale seemed to offer an outstretched hand by reiterating how much he values them

“In America club owners don’t have this type of ‘partnership’, but in European football it is something that must be taken seriously. In Italian football you have to take it very seriously, and I do. There’s an opportunity here for us to professionalise how these things are handled.

“These are no longer pastimes for the rich, now institutional capital is attracted to these situations because these are multi-billion dollar entertainment activities for live events and balance is needed.”

The Milan fans were discouraged after seeing Inter win the Scudetto in the derby and about the choice of the new coach (as seen in the social media revolt against Julen Lopetegui), because they would like a more ambitious and successful club.

“The fans obviously always want to win. The irony in sports is that if you win every year you make the competition less interesting. The human element and its unpredictability is what makes these things so precious. But in any case it is obvious that we always start to win the championship , to get as far as possible in the tournament.”