Milan owner Gerry Cardinale publicly back coach Stefano Pioli and made it clear that he’ll only ‘be satisfied when we win the Champions League’, sharing his ambitions at the club.
The RedBird CEO has continued to draw the ire of supporters following his decision to dismiss directors Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara last summer, a move that severely damaged the trust between fans and owners.
On the pitch, a poor Champions League campaign and inconsistent run in the league means Milan aren’t fighting for the biggest prizes this season, something that has raised doubts about Pioli’s suitability at the helm. He is widely expected to be replaced at the end of the season.
Speaking to Corriere della Sera via Calciomercato.com, Cardinale first reacted to Milan’s Europa League win over Stade Rennais.
“I’m very satisfied with what I saw, matches like this give the players a lot of confidence, they wanted it. Despite the many new additions, the group is making progress.”
He publicly defended Pioli and made it clear that everyone, including himself, needs to do better for the club.
“We have changed a lot, and it takes time to create a cohesive team. However, we are growing, close to second place, and credit for this must be given to the players, staff and coach. I will be satisfied when we win the Champions League.
“But not being happy at a certain stage doesn’t necessarily translate into firing the coach. I believe that Pioli is doing a good job in a difficult situation, with a very renewed team, I don’t give in to the temptation to fire someone just to change something.
“I’ll say, the season is still long, anything can happen, we’ll see. We need to improve in many things, with injuries for example. Everyone, starting with me, needs to do a better job. But I’m not quitting, I’ll be here for a long time. Nobody wants to win more than me.”
Cardinale was clear when addressing the rumours regarding a possible takeover by investors from Saudi Arabia.
“I want to be categorical: it’s completely false. I’m here to stay for a long time, I have a job to do. I’m committed to bringing Milan back to the top of Serie A and Europe and I won’t stop before I’ve achieved these results.
“And when we’ve achieved them, I’ll want to achieve them again. I feel sorry for the fans, because they are led to think of an instability that doesn’t exist by fantasizing about untrue changes in the corporate structure.
“I don’t let myself get distracted and I remain focused on the things to do. Take for example the story of the vendor loan signed with Elliott, I’m the one who wanted it, because Elliott did a great job. Nobody put a gun to my head. You can disagree with my strategies, but I don’t invent them.
“I’m an expert in corporate finance, assuming that 18 months after these choices I’m encountering difficulties is baseless. It would be better to stimulate debates on how to bring Serie A back to being a reference league, or on the importance of modern stadiums for clubs.”
Finally, Cardinale discussed Milan’s new stadium project, which is continuing to progress slowly.
“I’m very satisfied with the progress we are making, definitely a lot in 18 months, to build the first new stadium in Italy since 2011, with 70,000 seats.
“Reconsider San Siro? I don’t think so at this point, but every option deserves attention.”
#Milan, #Cardinale: ‘#Pioli sta lavorando bene, non licenzio tanto per farlo. Ma quale cessione, resto qui a lungo’ https://t.co/zYCddc6Zgz
— calciomercato.com (@cmdotcom) February 17, 2024
Bloody idiot