Milan owner Gerry Cardinale opened up about the struggles of growing a football brand in a city-owned stadium and provided an update on the Cathedral project with Inter.
The Rossoneri and the Nerazzurri have been working together in recent years trying to leave the current Stadio Giuseppe Meazza for a new home and decided to move forward with the Populous ‘Cathedral’ project, but in recent weeks tensions have arisen and now the two clubs appear to be close to splitting off to pursue separate projects.
Speaking at the Business of Football Summit in London, Cardinale first discussed why it’s been difficult trying to grow Milan as a brand due to the current stadium limitations.
“When you look at the Milan brand and you look at where Serie A should be, where all 20 Serie A team owners should be, an area that is not being used and that is not being properly exploited to bring events to the fans.
“They should have access to a world-class facility. We are evaluating different sites to build the new stadium, including an area near San Siro, to see what is possible. We are doing this together with the Milan City Hall and the Lombardy Region.
“I have to give credit to LeBron James who told me that there was a piece missing from my vision, and that is culture. In the USA culture is ‘urban’, in Italy it is ‘fashion’.
“We’re in Milan and we can’t bring one of Live Nation’s shows, one of our partners, to the fans and enthusiasts because there’s nowhere to do it. We cannot bring other forms of entertainment to the community.”
He explained why the current stadium in San Siro is not suitable for these kind of events.
“San Siro was built in 1926 and renovated over the years. I want to say that we want Milan and Serie A to return to the top levels, where I believe they deserve to be, we need to make a 360 degree analysis.
“And to return to the top you need the infrastructure. I want to give our fans a top product. We’ll see if we can find the right opportunity. But it has to work for the fans, for the Milan City Council and the Lombardy Region, for Serie A, as well as for us.”
The Milan owner was asked about the project with Inter and if the plan was still to go ahead together.
“We have the experiences with the Yankees Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. We have experience in building stadiums and differentiating the various revenues from this type of infrastructure.
“I’m a big believer in being independent, but right now there’s nothing we’re ruling out regardless. But you know, I think Inter are currently thinking about what their future will be and we are focusing on ours and what can be the best solution for us.”
He was asked about his thoughts on the transfer market in football.
“I got into the sport with George Steinbrenner (Yankees owner from 1973 until 2010, ed.), I learnt a lot. The real secret is that you can’t buy titles. Our job is to reduce the unpredictability part to always perform and the value of the club grows.
“Everyone wants to win, but if the same teams always win what would happen to the ecosystem? I want everyone to compete. What you can control is consistency and that is what changes everything.”
The Rossoneri owner weighed in on the Super League project.
“The project has failed and there is no reason to talk about it. The point is that you have to understand why it was proposed, there is a divergence between England and the rest of Europe. The Super League was badly structured but putting a competitive balance is the right thing.
“I want the whole Serie A to be competitive, the question is how to do it. If Serie A gets its things in order along with La Liga and Ligue 1, it can work together to do things right.”
Finally, Cardinale was asked why he doesn’t attend every Milan home game.
“It’s not about me. ‘Personal ownership’ doesn’t make sense to me. If everyone does their job, we will be successful. We have to bring a team mentality. I am on the phone every day with my managing team, I wake up with this thought and go to sleep with this thought.
“Showing up doesn’t change, my job is to bring the resources to compete. Nobody is more competitive than me, I would like to win Scudetto and Champions League every year, but we cannot control everything, and it is a group effort, not just mine.”