Zvonimir Boban still feels that Milan were wrong to sack him over a row involving former RB Leipzig and Manchester United coach Ralf Rangnick, detailing why an approach for the German led to his Rossoneri sacking.
Boban, who spent a decade with Milan in the 1990s and early 2000s, returned to San Siro in 2019 as Chief Football Officer, working alongside then-technical director and club legend Paolo Maldini.
Boban signed a three-year deal at the time, but that contract was ripped up after just nine months after he gave a damning interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The former Croatia international made it clear in that interview that the club, namely former CEO Ivan Gazidis, had gone behind his and Maldini’s backs to offer a contract to Rangnick. The proposed deal would have seen the German step in as both head coach, while also being in charge of the sporting management of the club.
Three and a half years later, Boban is still in the midst of a legal battle with Milan in a potential case of unfair dismissal.
Boban explains why Rangnick led to his Milan departure
Asked why he was forced to leave Milan, Boban said it was because of: “An interview that I thought was sacrosanct.”
Boban was speaking as a guest on Radio Deejay.
He continued: “After a few months, we found ourselves with no trust or support. They wanted to bring in Rangnick, they started talking. We were unable to get any clarification.
“At that moment, after big changes in the transfer market and after a change in coach, we had to admit to a mistake that we made in good faith.
“After the January market, with the arrivals of players like Kjaer, Saelemaekers and Ibrahimovic, we were still unable to confirm our positions, so I had to do it publicly because the owners had already started to make contact with Rangnick for the following season.
“I gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport, which I thought was done properly, but they fired me for just cause. We are still in court, I am sorry for how it has happened, but that’s life.”