Inter-Milan, the double Champions League semi-final is worth historic box office receipts: over 20 million euros

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The all-Milanese Champions League semi-final has already established a record: the box office record. The income for the two matches, in fact, allowed the two clubs to collect historical figures. Both Milan, who host the first leg match, and Inter, who will host the second leg on 16 May, have earned over 10 million euros each from ticket sales. An excellent result that adds to the collections already recorded with the sold out of the quarter-finals and which will facilitate the clubs in closing the seasonal balance sheets.

Return to profit for Milan

The president of Milan Paolo Scaroni underlined that also thanks to the “unexpected” ride in the Champions League, the turnover as of 30 June 2023 will exceed 350 million. And the prospect is even that of a return to profit. «Our revenues are growing – Scaroni said a few days ago -, I really hope it will be the year in which our figures will be positive. The last time Milan had a positive result was 2006». In the last three years, Milan’s rise has been considerable: from participation in the Europa League in the 2019-20 season, the return to the Champions League in 2020-21, the championship victory in the 2021/22 season and now the Champions League semi-final. In this period, total revenues rose from 192 million in 2020 to 297 in 2022. At the same time, the result for the year saw Milan suffer a three-year deficit of 357 million. But the losses have gradually reduced: -195 million in 2020, -96 in 2021 and -66 last year. Above all, commercial revenues increased from 52 to 81 million, in addition to the higher income associated with participation in the Champions League. In the three years of the pandemic, the wages of members have remained around 140 million, while the depreciation of the cards has decreased from 94 to 72 million. As at 30 June 2022, financial debt fell to just 28 million.

Inter to reduce losses

A record turnover is also expected for Inter. Without the DigitalBits incident that took away 25 million in annual revenue, the 400 million threshold could have been exceeded, net of capital gains. In the financial statements as at 30 June 2022, in fact, revenues amounted to 439 million but player trading contributed 108 million. However, a clear increase in stadium revenues is looming, exceeding the average of 40 million in recent seasons to almost 70 million. In this way the Nerazzurri management is preparing to cut the deficit, which however will remain higher than the AC Milan one. In the three years marred by Covid, Inter accrued losses of 488 million (with a financial debt of 350 million as at 30 June 2022). Last season, red reached 140 million. Wages for registered players last season amounted to 197 million (215 million the year before), to which must be added 101 million in depreciation (137 million the year before). The weight of financial charges that cost over 30 million in interest and a turnover that is struggling to grow structurally have forced the club to make an organic adjustment which, as confirmed by Alessandro Antonello in the interview granted to Sole 24 Ore, will also continue the next summer, «but without renouncing the competitiveness of the squad and taking into account sporting objectives».

«Meanwhile – added Antonello – after 20 years a derby is back for Milan. So the fact of being two teams from one city is already unique in Europe and perhaps this is a moment of pride, pride for the city, but pride for football in general, pride for Italy too. They are two teams that will face each other not only on the field, therefore as we said, for the sporting result, but also for what they have done in the last few years of evolution in the football industry. It’s true, there are problems, there are many, but perhaps this is also the time to recognize that the much-criticized Italian football today, paradoxically, is expressing potential in this phase compared to other much more important European countries as well».

How much is the final worth?

The proceeds from the Champions League for one of the two Milan teams, however, are not exhausted, on the contrary they will increase by reaching the final, Whoever goes to play in Istanbul will have the possibility of obtaining another 23.5 million,