Investigated by the Milan Prosecutor’s Office, two CEOs were the key men in the transition from Eliott to RedBird
Ivan Gazidis and Giorgio Furlani, the CEO of Milan under Elliott and the current CEO of RedBird management, are both under investigation by the Milan Prosecutor’s Office. The line of investigation also relates to the corporate transfer that took place at the end of August two years ago. The alleged crime is that of obstructing the FIGC’s supervisory activity on the legal requirements of the companies that own football teams.
who is gazidis
—
Ivan Gazidis was born in Johannesburg in 1964. At an early age he moved to England with his family and during his school and university years he developed a strong passion for football. He graduated in law at 22, and then accepted a job in the United States at Latham & Watkins, one of the most prestigious American law firms. In 1994 he played a decisive role in the foundation of Major League Soccer, the main football championship, and also became deputy commissioner at the beginning of the 2000s, dealing in particular with commercial issues. His return to Europe took place at the beginning of 2009 when he accepted the position of CEO of Arsenal and it was under his management that an epochal change occurred in the club, with the appointment of Unai Emery as Wenger’s successor in charge in 2018. It was in fact the last major operation he carried out at the Gunners, because from 1 December of that same year he became the CEO. of Milan. The Rossoneri experienced a period of ascendancy in the four years with Gazidis, marked by the return to the Champions League in 2021 and the Scudetto the following year. Once the ownership changed, a few months later – in November 2022 – the paths of Milan and the South African manager parted ways. During the European period he was part of (and chaired in some cases) many boards and committees, including the ECA Executive Council, the UEFA Executive Committee and the FIFA Football Stakeholders Committee. A few weeks ago, Gazidis was named president of Kilmer Sports Ventures, the sports division of the Kilmer Group, a Canadian investment platform.
who is furlani
—
Giorgio Furlani has taken up Gazidis’ legacy. Born in 1979, he was born in Milan where he graduated from Bocconi University; he then obtained a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He subsequently worked as an analyst in Lehman Brothers, an important US investment bank, which went bankrupt in 2008. Years before this happened, Furlani moved first to Silver Point Capital (2006) and then to Apollo Management LP, which instead deals with private investments equity, again in the United States in 2007. In 2010 he received the call from Elliott Management, where he held the role of portfolio manager; in 2018 he joined the board of directors of Milan, being then promoted as CEO immediately after Gazidis. Following the departure of Maldini and Massara, his responsibilities on the transfer market increased due to Cardinale’s decision. He has always declared himself a Rossoneri fan.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED