Tuttosport newspaper claims tension between Steven Zhang and Gerry Cardinale ‘continues’ ahead of tonight’s Champions League derby with Inter and Milan owners who won’t meet in a traditional institutional lunch before the match.
Zhang and Cardinale are believed not to be on good terms and ignored each other in the Champions League semifinal first leg last week.
The same will happen today, before and during the match. As reported by Tuttosport newspaper on Tuesday (page 6), Milan and Inter executives won’t meet in a traditional institutional lunch organised by UEFA ahead of European matches.
This is a routine that Milan have not followed since 2020-21, although Inter have always met opposing club directors before their European games. Tonight’s fixture at the Stadio Meazza is a home match for the Nerazzurri, but a meeting with their opponents won’t take place anyway.
Tuttosport highlights that Zhang and Cardinale have never spoken publicly or shaken hands since the American took over at Milan this past August.
The stadium project is believed to be one of the reasons why the club owners are not on good terms. Inter hoped to build a new stadium alongside their city rivals in the San Siro area, but the Rossoneri have dropped the project and are planning to build a new arena alone.