Former Milan President Yonghong Li has seemingly broken his silence with an extraordinary offer to “help” the club. “I'm so sad at the way things are going now.”
A Twitter account purporting to be from the Chinese businessman appeared today with a series of messages telling his side of the story.
He purchased AC Milan from Silvio Berlusconi in April 2017 with the aid of a €330m loan from Elliott Management Corporation, but defaulted on repayments and the club was essentially repossessed in July 2018.
Former Milan President Yonghong Li has seemingly broken his silence with an extraordinary offer to “help” the club. “I'm so sad at the way things are going now.”
A Twitter account purporting to be from the Chinese businessman appeared today with a series of messages telling his side of the story.
He purchased AC Milan from Silvio Berlusconi in April 2017 with the aid of a €330m loan from Elliott Management Corporation, but defaulted on repayments and the club was essentially repossessed in July 2018.
Yonghong Li vanished after that, making no public statements or seemingly any attempt to take back the money he had lost.
Some sources close to Milan assure this is Yonghong Li, although there is also a very healthy dose of scepticism that he would break his silence in this way.
“I’m a lifelong fan of my beloved #Rossoneri (@acmilan), and their future matters to me today as much as it ever did. I’m so sad at the way things are going now. If there’s any way I can still help, I will. I want to talk and to listen,” read the Twitter account.
“But I really don’t speak English or Italian too well, so I’ve had to stay out of Twitter up to now. But some English-speaking friends are helping translate for me.
“So here I am! I’ll be tweeting here from now on, with my thoughts about football, and in particular, anything involving #Rossoneri #ACM
“You may wonder why someone born in China fell in love with an Italian club. But lots of us did. Italian football was the first international football to be broadcast on TV in China.
“And the most magical, most legendary Italian club of all was AC Milan. I was a fan from the day I could kick a football.
“When I had the opportunity to invest, and to put my financial support behind #Rossoneri, I was so happy to do so, not as a venture capitalist looking for a quick profit, but as a real fan in a position to help the club I loved.
“I had clear plans for the future. But plans were dismantled, and I was suddenly no longer the owner of my beloved #ACMilan.
“I have not walked away. If I have the opportunity to help again, then certainly I will. Meanwhile, let’s talk together!”
(1/8) I’m a lifelong fan of my beloved #Rossoneri (@acmilan), and their future matters to me today as much as it ever did. I’m so sad at the way things are going now. If there’s any way I can still help, I will. I want to talk and to listen. #ACMILAN
— Yonghong Li (@YonghongLi69) November 19, 2019