AC Milan President Paolo Scaroni has provided insights into the club’s current situation, addressing both sporting and financial aspects in a recent interview with Radio tv Serie A. Scaroni touched on several key topics, including the ongoing stadium project and the importance of financial sustainability for the Rossoneri.
On the stadium issue, Scaroni revealed that sharing a new San Siro with Inter has become the primary plan, superseding the previous San Donato project. He explained, “The San Donato plan has become Plan B since the Superintendency removed the restriction on building a new stadium next to the Meazza, which is to be demolished. I thank the mayor; now a different process has started because the two clubs now have to buy the stadium, the land next to the stadium, obtain building permits, and so on. We need to make a contract to ensure everything is perfect because the impact will be significant, but I’m optimistic.”
Addressing the club’s financial strategy, Scaroni emphasized the non-negotiable nature of financial sustainability. “Financial sustainability is not a choice; it’s mandatory. If you don’t have this, UEFA penalizes you, and it’s the premise for future success. Through financial sustainability, we are the ones who have invested the most. Then everyone can say whether the results are visible or not because, in the end, that’s what counts,” he stated.
Scaroni also discussed the club’s focus on youth development, saying, “On one hand, through Milan Futuro, we are betting on young players, and it costs us several million, but we are convinced it’s worth it.”
Addressing the fans directly, Scaroni called for patience and trust: “Not all plans bring results in the short term. We are here to win, then not everything succeeds, but I tell the fans to have faith because we are here to win every game.”
The Milan president also touched on the challenges facing Italian football, including the loss of competitiveness compared to other European leagues, particularly the English Premier League. He noted, “In 20 years, Serie A has lost ground, not keeping pace with the growth that other European championships have had, especially the English one. At the time, it was the reference point; today, the reference point is the English championship and perhaps the cups. Serie A has dropped in level as attractiveness worldwide. Just think of the difference in television revenues, with us collecting no more than 200 million a year.”
Scaroni also addressed issues such as piracy and betting regulations that affect Italian football’s revenues. On piracy, he stated, “We want those who buy illegal streams to be punished and fined. The order of damage is about 500 million a year. It affects Dazn and Sky, but then us as a consequence. That there are entire populations who enjoy the product for free, making pirates profit, is harmful.”
Regarding betting regulations, Scaroni expressed his disagreement with current policies: “We are the only country in Europe that prohibits betting advertising in football. I am one of those who says that if we’re the only ones doing something, we’re not the smartest, but the ones who are wrong. There was a Dignity Decree, of which I don’t understand where the dignity is, that prevents clubs from earning 100 million a year. The tax authorities collect 300 million a year from betting on football. If we were able to collect a small percentage of bets on Serie A, it would all benefit the movement, which would benefit by earning more, buying champions, and so on.”
