December 16 – AC Milan chief executive Ivan Gazidis has downplayed the threat a European Super League which recently resurfaced when former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said his club had received an invitation to take part.
Gazidis, a former executive board member of the European Clubs Association, told the BBC that despite countless stories of a potential breakaway league, he does not expect it to become a reality.
“This conversation about the European Super League has been going on for probably more than 20 years,” Gazidis said. “The reality is there are many different ways that European football could develop over the next 5-10 years. I don’t think there’s a big likelihood that we see a Super League in the way that people talk about it.
“Do I think that there could be developments in the way that the Champions League develops? Absolutely I do. That’s a conversation we should have and have it with an open mind.”
The former Arsenal CEO also called on Italian football to do more to tackle racism including updating stadiums. Milan’s San Siro is one of 12 Serie A grounds built over 50 years ago.
“We see an environment in which there is a lack of respect kind of built in, perhaps similar to what we saw in England before the development of stadiums,” Gazidis said. “The new stadiums provide an atmosphere in which people feel more safe and secure.
“They have more technology in them, they’re more inclusive, you get more diversity in the crowds, women come, children come, people from every different race, colour, background and sexual orientation feel more welcome into the stadiums. That’s what we have to work towards here in Italy.”
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