Legendary Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti says firing Paolo Maldini as director “reveals a lack of culture and respect for the Rossoneri tradition”. Maldini was released from his role as sporting director on Monday, along with Ricky Massara, prompting a number of reports that outlined the reasoning behind the dismissal.
Speaking with Il Giornale, Ancelotti offered his own assessment on the news, while also touching on the problems that are plaguing football at present, including the vile racism that was endured by one of his Real Madrid players throughout the season, and the ongoing problems with VAR:
Football lives a thousand contradictions, racism, violence, referees, VAR, finance, algorithms, passions. Where can one begin, to understand?
“Football is living among and with too many problems, I don’t know if it is in involution or evolution. Fortunately, the game prevails, there is the game but even within this, the issues increase.”
Meaning?
“Technology was supposed to facilitate the game and its rules, just for offside and goal-technology, which, by the way in Spain is still not implemented and set a serious precedent in Espanyol-Atletico Madrid, with the awarding of a ghost goal that led to the relegation of the Espanyol. VAR has taken exclusive power away from the referee, making decisions that are not in line with the spirit and actual reality of the game. The hand foul, for example. There is no objectivity but personal decisions. VAR is misused, indeed overused.”
How could and should it be remedied?
“First of all, by changing the formation of the International Board, with the inclusion of former players and coaches who know the game well and better. On offside, for example, one knee, one foot cannot invalidate the action.”
Does that mean technologies are not needed?
“I am of an older generation, I use technologies but I am not a maniacal victim. I agree with what Bielsa said: once the reference points were the family and school, today social media and technologies.”
Also, there is too much play.
“My team, between La Liga, cups and the World Cup, end the season having played 73 games. From December 30 to March 12, we played nonstop except for one week, moving between Morocco and Arabia. It is not possible to continue like this. UEFA launches the new champions with more teams, FIFA launches the world cup with more nations, the leagues promote the four-team national SuperCup final. Either they agree among themselves or the health of the players no longer matters.”
You do have a roster of 25 players, though.
“Agreed, my staff is complete in every area but, again, the number of commitments is too many.”
There are other serious problems, though.
“Racism for sure. I cannot accept that the stadium has become the most hostile environment of everything and everyone, I cannot accept this climate of hatred, because of skin, because of religion, because of the ethnicity of a footballer or a coach. In the four years I lived in England I have no memories of insults to the person, whistles yes, choruses also, never however a personal attack, hatred must be fought, it will be a long process.”
At the first racist slur, teams should stop.
“It can be a solution but as long as there are then no penalties, first they change the rules, there is a judge on the field who can and must intervene. Here in Spain something is moving after the Vinicius case but I was denounced by a Valencian group for accusing the whole Mestalla crowd. I have apologized but the lawsuit is open.”
Back to technologies. The latest fad is algorithms. Paolo Maldini knows something about it.
“I learned in Madrid that the history of a club should always be respected, here Di Stefano, Amancio, Gento, Puskas are still exclusive values towards which reverence is nurtured. To preserve history at the highest level, the memory of the past must be protected, what happened with Maldini shows a lack of historical culture, of respect for the Milanese tradition. If it is true that with history you do not win, it is also true that history teaches how to win.”
