Milan-Inter was a party, but “San Siro shows gaps on these occasions,” said Alessandro Antonello

There is still a festive atmosphere at San Siro, at least for Alexander Antonello, CEO Corporate of Inter, guest of the Il Foglio event at San Siro (here you can follow the event live). It was the day after the Nerazzurri’s victory in the Champions League derby: “A wonderful performance. The boys have given prestige to their abilities, we are starting from good hopes for the return”. Despite the result, however, there are some regrets: “There was a box-office record and we’ll probably break it when we return. The clubs have shown great organizational skills off the pitch, but San Siro shows shortcomings on these occasions. There is a lack of suitable services that would allow us to obtain better results”.

The stadium theme holds the ground: “In the studies for the new facility, we have proven how much it would improve the revenue generation capacity. The stadium turnovers of the top European clubs stand at 120/130 million, those of Inter and Milan at 70, the new facility would cover the gap”. News could already arrive in the next few days: “The journey began four years ago, but it is useless to deny the slowdowns. On Friday there will be a meeting with the mayor and superintendent on the historical-artistic constraint of the second ring which should start from 2025, we hope for answers”. Should they not be positive, Antonello does not rule out any possibility: “We believe that San Siro is the best location and we continue to investigate the dossier, but if the administration does not give certainties, we too have alternatives to build elsewhere”.

The construction of the new stadium would represent a further success for the owners: “After seven years, giving continuity to the work, Inter has been brought back to the levels it deserves on and off the pitch. Zhang is a hard-working, mature president who helps a lot in running the day-to-day. Being at his side is a pleasure, he gives us new directions and visions thanks to his young age ”. In addition to the trophies won, Antonello highlights the improvements of the Inter brand: “It has grown a lot, we have 500 million fans around the world. We aim to be both a sporting icon and build an entire value system. The agreements with some Italian luxury brands testify to this”.

However, some agreements did not work, such as the one with the insolvent main sponsor Digital Bits, who disappeared from the shirts after a few games: “There is a lot of regret, we are working to immediately find a new partner. It’s not nice to reach the semifinals in this situation, even if the vintage jersey without a sponsor has its admirers”. Also because financial sustainability remains the main objective: “Our maximum investment coincided with the advent of the pandemic. This year we are seeing positive results also thanks to the sporting ones, for the future it will be essential to qualify for the Champions League”. A future still with Suning? “Inter arouses interest, if the owners accept new partnerships they will be exclusively for the good of the club”.