I know we as Milan fans are supposed to be sorrowful and
mourning our exit of the Europa League for next season. Certainly, UEFA’s
statement was nothing short of harshly punitive and malicious. But while UEFA
thinks they “won” the FFP battle that they waged unfairly, compared
to other clubs, Milan just got four years worth of FFP violations wiped
clean just for stepping out of a competition we did not want or need to be in.
Bullet dodged.
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| Europa League needs Milan more than Milan needs the Europa League |
First of all, it begs repeating: why were Milan denied a
voluntary or settlement agreement in the first place? Okay if they didn’t
want to give it to Yonghong Li, even though he was as deserving as any other
new owner. But what about the Elliott Fund? You know, that thing that UEFA
reportedly feared that Yonghong Li’s tenure would lead to? Yet they have made
the club debt free and have made wise purchases in the mercato to reinforce and
improve the team. They are also doing the most anyone has done to generate new
revenue and balance our books. So why not give them the same opportunity
every other new owner gets from UEFA? That literally would have prevented
all of this wasted time and all of the ridiculous lawyer fees and everything.
It’s as though UEFA want people to know that the actual acronym is Financial
Foul Play.
Secondly, if the CAS overturned their initial two year ban,
why is UEFA gloating and acting vindicated over Milan offering to take a
one year ban, in lieu of UEFA running down our FFP clock and trying to come up
with a punishment that was fair? They knew that the CAS was going to overturn their December
decision, that’s why they were willing to talk to Milan in the first
place. This is just another indication of UEFA making
complete fools of themselves.
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| Less a governing body and more a popularity contest |
I was so proud to read Milan’s
official statement about the CAS Consent Award. Simple,
straightforward, acknowledging that the FFP violations were from previous
ownerships, yet being respectful toward UEFA and FFP. Classy.
Meanwhile, UEFA’s
official release was shockingly juvenile and unprofessional. Not only
did they rehash the whole saga with no mention of denying Milan’s multiple
requests for voluntary or settlement agreements, they also failed to mention
that they were dropping all charges for the years 2014-2018 as the CAS reported
they must. This was literally points one, two, and four of the
CAS statement. Then they went even further to say, “UEFA is
satisfied that it is now acknowledged by AC Milan and confirmed by CAS that AC
Milan's failure to be break-even compliant must lead to a severe sanction.”
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| UEFA's new babysitter, apparently |
Where to even begin with that statement? First of all, Milan
always acknowledged UEFA, why do you think we spent so much money on lawyers to
keep running back and forth, first to UEFA, then to the CAS? And speaking of
acknowledging, what says “acknowledging” more than offering a club a voluntary
or settlement agreement? But like a child who thinks they’ve won, their
statement offered much less information and so much more vindication. So
embarrassing for a football governing body, really. And meanwhile, legendary
clubs like Palermo continue to be mismanaged and reportedly will have to file
for bankruptcy. You know, that thing FFP is meant to prevent? But yeah, UEFA, let’s focus on a club that is
working tirelessly to comply with FFP, then scream to the sky about how you
were right. Classy.
The biggest irony is that UEFA lost. Having Milan in the
Europa League makes them more money, period. How will they balance their budgets if they keep treating clubs like Milan so unfairly? Meanwhile, Milan got four years of
FFP violations cleared by bowing out of one year of competition in their
inferior league. That’s a year where Milan have a chance to rebuild, finally,
without worrying about what UEFA are going to say this time or how long we have
to wait
for their next erratic decision. A year with fewer games, fewer
injuries, and more time to focus on Serie A. Exactly what Milan have been
needing.
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| The joke's on you, Cefarin. Might wanna rethink FFP... |
So Milan got out of four years of FFP non-compliance, including
the Yonghong Li year, the worst year in the red ever for our club. That includes
any and all punishments from UEFA, whether deemed fair by the CAS or not. We
also got out of playing in a third competition next year, at a crucial time for
the club when we need to focus on a top four Serie A result. This is also a big
advantage over our opponents competing in Europe. Meanwhile, UEFA got “acknowledged,”
and demonstrated how petty and vindictive they really are. Disturbing. For
anyone who thinks Milan lost in this deal, I say bullet dodged.
This post inspired by the music of twenty
one pilots’ “Ride”