Furlani, Milan CEO: ‘The new San Siro is not dead. RedBird a serial investor’

CEO of the club who has been a fan since he was a child. Giorgio Furlani knows he is privileged to be able to cover this dual “role”, but then one reaches a certain point and a certain level where it is a must to think like an entrepreneur who manages a company. The CEO Rossoneri spoke to The Athletic about Milan, both in financial terms and on lighter topics. “People say being the CEO of the club they support must be their dream job. I’ve always said: ‘Look, the dream job was to be a striker’. It’s very special and a bit difficult to describe. It’s an honor and a responsibility.” And then he recalls an anecdote: “Athens 2007? Spanish came in handy because I was in the Atacama Desert in Chile looking for a place with a TV. I couldn’t miss Milan-Liverpool…”.

Serial investments

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So a significant passage recounted by those who have personally experienced the sale between Elliott and RedBird: “Elliott did what he does best, that is the phase of turnaround. RedBird is a serial investor in media, sports and entertainment. The convergence of these three aspects can take the club to the next level. Does RedBird also administer Toulouse? There is no sharing of knowledge, nor working groups”. Finally, an important reflection on the new stadium: “It’s an all-Italian problem. They build stadiums everywhere, Italy must try to figure out how to build them. There is a law. The point is that if you’re stuck, there’s a way to speed up and cut red tape, but it doesn’t work. There are several proprietary groups willing to invest money. Usually these are foreign proprietary groups, therefore foreign capital. It is money that enters the country for development, infrastructure, job creation, GDP, branding, and in fact the system says: ‘We don’t want your money’. The future AC Milan stadium? All options are being evaluated, including the old San Siro, which is an open project. He is not dead”.