AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale has presented an ambitious vision for Italian football, expressing his desire to meet Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to jointly develop a strategy for revitalizing Serie A. He also openly shared the considerable frustrations he has encountered while attempting to build a new stadium in Italy, contrasting these challenges with his experiences in the United States.
In a candid interview with the Financial Times at Milanello, conducted just days before Milan’s derby victory over Inter, the founder of RedBird Capital spoke frankly about the cultural and political hurdles he has faced since acquiring the club.
Regarding the stadium project, Cardinale stated, “In the US I could do it with my eyes closed.” He detailed the “linguistic, political, and cultural barriers” in Italy, despite his aim for the stadium to be a truly Italian product—financed by Italian banks, with Italian companies competing for naming rights, and surrounded by Italian commerce and hospitality. “In the States I could do it without thinking. Here it is not my ecosystem,” he emphasized, highlighting the unfamiliar environment.
Despite these significant frustrations, Cardinale’s long-term ambition for both AC Milan and Italian football at large remains undiminished. He envisions reaching a point where, having built sufficient credibility, he can engage with Italian leadership in Rome, including Prime Minister Meloni, to “build a plan to relaunch Serie A.” His ultimate goal is to “make Serie A one of Italy’s greatest exports.”
This bold and genuinely exciting vision, if successfully realized, holds the potential for profound implications concerning Italian football’s global standing and influence.
