Since November 2013 he is no longer president of Inter, and recently he also left the post of honorary president; he does, however, continue to follow the fortunes of the club closely and still continues to have his say. Massimo Moratti also says his in an interview with the French newspaper L’Equipe, during which he reveals his feelings about the current time for the club of his heart and of Italian football and at the same time explains the reasons for his choice. Here is the full interview:
Why did you choose to invest in football?
“I am committed by passion, this is the only reason why you have to invest in football. If you do it just to make money, then it is best to avoid it. At the same time, those who want to lose can also enter.”
And why did you decide to leave?
“It was the thing to do after all these years. I planned to stay for much less time, but after ten years, I began to win, and then it became harder to leave. I ended up staying a few more years. But for a company it is good, at some point, to change men and vision of things. Then we looked for investors.”
Were you tired of putting up money every year?
“A little, yes, of course. But I was used to it. I always hoped that the debts would decrease but it never happened.”
But do you still make decisions?
“No. Everyone is always very kind to ask me for ideas and advice but I do not decide anything. Then, there are clauses that allow me to put a veto on certain issues, such as sponsorship of betting agencies, which I never wanted. Suddenly, they rush me to go do it,” he laughs.
Inter’s treble seems distant. Was it the end of an economic model?
“It was a very different situation. One person who symbolizes the hopes, joys, the life of a club. We were not the only club to work that way. Italian football has experienced great moments of success thanks to this economic model. In football, artists, show, dreams, pleasure are needed. So you really have to spend much because the base is made by the great champions.”
According to you, are Inter and Milan comparable?
“Yes, even if Milan makes its investments through a company. But it was also one person who took the money of this company and invested them in the club. The crisis has made things worse, because you could not be generous anymore and spend like before. And for a club accustomed to spend this is a radical change.”
Looking back, do you think that you have not been able to diversify enough expenses?
“You should not believe that we liked to spend so much. But there is also Italian reality to consider; merchandising, for example, works wonders in England. In Italy there are always difficulties to get to that level, where everyone go to the stadium with the shirt of their team on. From country to country, the habits of the customer change. In Italy the merchandising has difficulties to develop.”
Do you regret not having insisted enough on the development of the players?
“At Inter we invested on development! Balotelli is a good example. But the problem is mainly to have young people playing in the first team. Either he is a true champion and plays, or you prefer to be safe with an affirmed player and the young player never plays. You get him, he is sent around, never returns. It takes discipline to develop these players.”
Then there is the problem of the stadiums.
“It is tied to the decisions of the country. Stadiums were made for Italia ’90 and seem new. In England, however they did not build big arenas but more welcoming. San Siro is a magnificent stadium, but it still has not its optimum performance. And it is very large. With a smaller stadium, people are afraid of not getting a seat and then subscribe to be sure of being able to attend.”
Do you have confidence in the future of football in Milan?
“It will take time. Today, the Italian football does rather badly. I’m not desperate, but to see Milan return to being in the top of European football, in my opinion, will take years. Today, there is a huge distance from clubs such as Manchester United, Bayern and Real Madrid.”
Source: fcinternews.it
