The darkest days never seem far away from Italian football. There always seems to be some betting scandal or controversy going on. There is another one brewing just around the corner.
The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has promised to step down from his post due to the financial state Italy finds itself due to the Euro crisis. Not a problem the outsider thinks. But Berlusconi is also AC Milan's owner.
That's right the same man famous for the sex scandals is also the man behind the scenes at one of European footballs giants. In many ways he is the modern Milan having taken over in 1986 and saving the club from bankruptcy. He then financed the van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard era which yielded three European cups and a host of other UEFA and FIFA recognised trophies. It is hard to see where AC Milan would be but for the fortunes of Berlusconi. A total of 28 trophies have been won during his time at the club.
When the city split into AC Milan and Internazionale it was AC Milan that the working class followed and it's that same working class that are going to suffer now. The cost of living over in Italy is about to escalate and if Milan's fan base can't afford to go to every match it will have an affect throughout the whole club. The club themselves may need to make cut backs during the economic unrest. Despite Berlusconi's depth of riches, he can not be seen to throw money around while the country is crumbling around him.
A look at their squad tells you that major finance is what is needed though. The likes of van Bommel, Nesta, Gattuso, Inzaghi and Seedorf can not keep playing forever. Italy just isn't the place to attract the star names any more. Players are moving to places like Russia, Qatar and France where the money is.
And lets not forget the amount of law suits Berlusconi will be investigated for once he is formally no longer Prime Minister. The new government will want to distance themselves from the shady areas of Berlusconi's past. There is no indication to the perception Berlusconi holds inside his own country. To Milan he will always be a hero. Heroes don't last forever though. Every man and club has there price as English football has found out.
Their are skeletons in Berlusconi's closet that he will want to keep closed and combined with the scandals and the Euro crisis, it wouldn't surprise me if he sought foreign investment with the view to ultimately sell the club. Offering him a role within the structure of the club will take some of the spotlight off him but if other counties view him as we do then that is not likely. You wouldn't want your company entangled in story lines with him. It would be like having Boris Johnson as ambassador for Manchester United.
Only time will tell but the future looks unsteady at AC Milan.
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