Taci and Galliani

There has been much talk lately of the possible sale of Milan to a number of investors, most notably Rezart Taci the Albanian oil tycoon. I have for one have advocated that perhaps it is time for Silvio to sell and move on. Milan are really struggling this season as a result of Silvio’s refusal to invest in the side and if this continues the fortunes of this side will only get worse. A new owner, perhaps even a foreign one, who is willing to invest in the side and make Milan a force again is perhaps what is needed.

With Silvio facing numerous legal issues and subsequent financial penalties it does not appear likely that Silvio will invest in Milan anytime soon. So perhaps a new owner is needed, a foreign one even. Yet, it seems that many fans are opposed to the idea of a foreign owner taking over Milan. Such fans would prefer for Milan to go on suffering along with Silvio which could lead to the complete demise of this great club rather than have a new owner, foreign or not, take over and keep Milan at the pinnacle of world football.

The argument to keep Milan Italian-owned is understandable, to an extent. In an ideal world surely it would be better to always have an Italian President. Yet, we do not live in an ideal world. We live in a world where money talks and in football money talks alot. Without money, a club cannot get the best players and therefore will struggle to achieve success. Of course, it is not only money that brings success. A strong youth academy along with some good scouting can bring about success also, just look at Barcelona. But even a club like Barcelona has to go out and spend big to keep on achieving success (i.e. their recent notable purchase of Ibrahimovic).

Milan is not a club that can rely on their own academy to produce quality players so the club needs to spend in order to remain competitive. But with Silvio as President no quality players, seemingly and for now at least, will be brought in. He refused to spend in the summer even after cashing in on Kaka. Now, with Silvio facing a string of legal repercussions and subsequent financial difficulties, it is even more likely that no additional funds will be made available for transfers. It seems that Silvio has bigger issues to deal with and this is perhaps another reason why he should sell.

With no other Italian interested or at least with the money to take over Milan, then perhaps foreign ownership is the option. Rezart Taci is a wealthy man and is in a position to purchase the club and invest in new players. Whether it is Taci or another foreign invester, does it really matter? One cannot pose the argument concerning the legitimacy of such owners because in our very own Silvio, we have a President who has a few shady clouds hanging over him. With that aside, the solution seems simple. Milan need money to invest in players and if a foreign owner can provide that then by all means it is an option worth considering.

With the recent words of Berlusconi and Galliani not giving any indication that they are going to make any significant changes anytime soon along with Silvio’s mounting legal troubles, it seems that things are going to get much worse before they get better. But, if a foreign owner can step in and curtail Milan’s misery then there is no rational reason to not allow it.

What is your view? Is foreign ownership of Milan unacceptable?