Why A Europa League Sabbatical Is Good For AC Milan

Though some outlets have reported that AC Milan have been ‘booted out of Europe,’ the truth of their omission from the 2019/20 Europa League is that the club have come to a voluntary agreement with UEFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Breaches in Financial Fair Play regulations by the previous regime in 2014-17 and 2015-18 have left the current owners, Elliott Management, with little choice.

Had an agreement not been reached, Milan would’ve needed to have broken even financially by midnight on June 30 – an impossibility.

However, they’ve taken what should be seen as a sensible standpoint of short-term pain for long-term gain.

A year out of European football will hurt, but upon completion the slate is wiped clean and the Rossoneri can move forward knowing they will, once again, be fully compliant with UEFA.

The overspending of the Chinese consortium that owned the club before Elliott Management has, naturally, set the club back in terms of its ambitions.

Sales of players who could bring in decent fees are a must, and though it means the Italians must say goodbye to some real talent, the funds accrued will be reinvested as the club look to build again.

Work has already begun in this regard in fact, and with Paolo Maldini back at the club as technical director alongside COO Zvonimir Boban, another former AC great, their influence during this transitional period cannot be understated.

Nor can the definitive actions and statements made by the new owners who, rather than seeking to make excuses for what had gone before, grabbed hold of the issues by the scruff of the neck and have ensured that AC Milan will be free of the baggage they inherited in a year’s time.

It’s a wholly responsible attitude from a set of businessmen that are not only saying the right things but doing them too.

Yes, they want Milan back to being a real force in Serie A and Europe again, but they’ll build the club in a much more sustainable way, to ensure that the problems of the last few seasons never rear their ugly heads again.

With the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza also looking likely to be demolished too, tendering for new stadium sponsors should also be on the agenda in order to ensure the coffers are swelled.

On the pitch, qualification for next season’s Champions League is a must.

It might seem a tall order at this juncture, but with everything slowly falling into place, don’t rule out Milan’s rise from the dying embers of the last administration.