AC Milan's influential ultras want Massimiliano Allegri to remain as coach amid widespread speculation that club president Silvio Berlusconi plans to fire him. The Curva Sud (South Curve) fan group issued a statement praising Allegri for his handling of a young squad last season, when Milan recovered from a poor start to finish third in Serie A and qualify for next season's Champions League playoff.
"Today, we find ourselves with a project which has only just started and which will soon be dismantled by presidential choice," said the statement on the group's website. The fans were especially critical of reports that former Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who has no coaching experience and is playing with Botafogo in Brazil, could be brought in as a replacement.
"We can well understand, but not agree, that whoever invests can decide to change coach just for personal reasons," they said. "But if it's really part of a plan we must at least start again by putting the team into the hands of an experienced trainer," the fan group added. "Certainly not someone like Seedorf or others who have zero experience on the bench and will come in to take in hand a squad of young players one month before the first official engagement and before the very difficult task which is the preliminaries of the Champions League.
"We hope that there will be respect for Milan as an institution and its fans, with a choice which is not just related to
05:12 PM, May 23, 2013
Milan: Veteran AC Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati has signed a one-year contract extension with the Serie A club. Abbiati's contract was set to expire next month but he agreed to a new deal tying him to the club until June 2014. Abbiati says "I've signed for a year and that's the club's policy, but I am happy to start another season with Milan which is my family." Abbiati, who turns...
08:19 PM, May 20, 2013
AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri condemned Italian soccer culture as backward on Sunday after his team's match at home against AS Roma was interrupted by racist chanting from fans. Allegri also criticised the interruption, during which warnings were broadcast to the fans over the public address system, as an unsuccessful compromise and said that forward Mario Balotelli was being increasingly taunted by racist abuse. "People should go to the stadium...
01:12 PM, May 13, 2013
Milan: Palermo were relegated from Serie A after losing 1-0 to Fiorentina from former player Luca Toni's goal on Sunday. The result left the Sicilian side five points behind 17th-place Genoa, which drew 0-0 at home to Inter Milan. With one round remaining, Torino also secured safety with a 1-1 draw at Chievo Verona. It is six points above Palermo. Genoa's result meant Siena was also relegated, without kicking a...
08:21 AM, May 13, 2013
Milan: Although the title has already been secured by Juventus, there is still much to play for at both ends of the Serie A table, with AC Milan and Fiorentina fighting for the final Champions League spot. Milan is in pole position to finish third and earn a place in the Champions League qualifiers, as it is four points ahead of Fiorentina with three rounds remaining. Milan visits already-relegated Pescara...
12:10 PM, May 07, 2013
Milan: AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri insists that he hoped to stay at the club but the final word rests with owner Silvio Berlusconi. Allegri has been the focus of speculation about his destination of next season, reports Xinhua. "I hope to remain at Milan but it depends on president Berlusconi. He has the final word. I have always had a good rapport with the president regardless of what...
11:51 AM, May 06, 2013
Rome: AC Milan have denied local media reports that manager Massimiliano Allegri will be moving to AS Roma at the end of the season. "AC Milan categorically denies what was published today in the pages of the Corriere della Sera regarding its manager Massimiliano Allegri," the club said on their website (www.acmilan.com) on Saturday. Milan-based daily Corriere della Sera said Allegri had accepted a three-year contract to move to the...
04:58 PM, May 04, 2013
Rio de Janeiro: Brazil's top-flight football club Botafogo have denied that their star midfielder Clarence Seedorf could return to Italian outfit AC Milan next season as coach. The 37-year-old is reportedly top on Milan president Silvio Berlusconi's list to replace under-pressure Massimiliano Allegri next season, reports Xinhua. "If he is able to be a Botafogo player and coach Milan at the same time, he can go. But I really need...
12:50 PM, Apr 28, 2013
Milan: AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri has said that his team must not feel any pressure after Fiorentina closed the gap to them to just one point. Rossoneri suffered a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Juventus, their first one of 2013, and remained third in the standings, with only one point clear of Fiorentina, reports Xinhua. "The lads put in a good performance, allowing little and controlling the ball,"...
02:26 PM, Apr 22, 2013
"Milan-Barcelona means we are facing the best team in the world but I do not accept that in the last two weeks everyone has been making us out to be the sacrificial lamb," he said. ...
10:01 PM, Feb 19, 2013
Milan's pursuit of Drogba means Serie A leaders Juventus are likely to go for other striker targets including Olympique Lyon's Lisandro Lopez. ...
08:53 AM, Jan 24, 2013
Milan: Italian Serie A giants AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri said his side had drawn "the strongest team in the world" after they were paired with Barcelona in the Champions League football knock-out stage. The Serie A giants will play the first leg at San Siro Feb 20 and visit the Nou Camp March 12 in the second-round tie, reports Xinhua. "We ended up with the strongest team in...
12:21 PM, Dec 21, 2012
Milan: AC Milan club vice president Adriano Galliani confirmed that Massimiliano Allegri will stay as the football club's head coach despite their dismal loss to Fiorentina at home. Allegri's job was again placed in doubt following the 1-3 home loss -- their sixth in 12 Serie A games, reports Xinhua. "It is obvious that we are not happy," said Galliani Monday. "We evaluated everything last night and changing the coach...
12:56 PM, Nov 13, 2012
Milan: AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri remains confident his team will find their way out of trouble despite yet another setback in their Champions League match against Malaga. "It's not part of my character to walk out," the unflappable coach told Italian media after Wednesday's 1-0 defeat in Spain. "The situation in our Champions League group is positive and we have more need of points in the league." Milan remained...
03:58 PM, Oct 25, 2012
Milan: AC Milan legend Franco Baresi believes that Massimiliano Allegri could revive the Rossoneri provided he is given enough time. The Italian football club's head coach has been under fire after his side suffered four losses in their first seven league games, but Baresi insisted the former Cagliari boss could turn the tables around. "Allegri won the Scudetto two years ago and he came second last season," Baresi was quoted...
10:32 AM, Oct 18, 2012
Milan: AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was banned for three Serie A matches on Monday for hitting an opponent, ruling him out of a key clash with Italian league leaders Juventus. In the 64th minute of Milan's 0-0 draw with Napoli on Sunday, Ibrahimovic was expelled for slapping his right hand on the side of defender Salvatore Aronica's face. Ibrahimovic will miss a difficult game at third-placed Udinese next weekend,...
11:25 PM, Feb 06, 2012
