Paolo Maldini accepts Milan “made a mistake by talking about objectives. We were banned from Europe" because they inherited a club €126m in the red.
The technical director has been giving interviews with Sky Sport Italia, released throughout the weekend, shining a light on the situation at San Siro.
Paolo Maldini accepts Milan “made a mistake by talking about objectives. We were banned from Europe" because they inherited a club €126m in the red.
The technical director has been giving interviews with Sky Sport Italia, released throughout the weekend, shining a light on the situation at San Siro.
“It’s a delicate moment, but part of the growth process. There were a lot of expectations, which is natural, but we and the club owners made a mistake by talking about objectives,” said Maldini.
“We inherited a club running at a loss of €126m, had to run a zero-cost transfer strategy and were banned from Europe also because of previous owners.
“If we just say that clearly, then people have a more complete idea of what we’re dealing with.”
Milan accepted a ‘plea deal’ with UEFA to give up their Europa League place this season, essentially accepting Financial Fair Play punishment in order to wipe the slate clean.
Maldini has been critical of both Yonghong Li, who defaulted on loan payments and led to the club being repossessed by hedge fund Elliott Management, and former President Silvio Berlusconi.