MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 3: AC Milan’s Gerry Cardinale watches before the Serie A match between AC Milan and FC Internazionale at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on September 3, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Ruzzani/Getty Images)
Milan have officially announced Massimo Calvelli as their new CEO, as Jerry Cardinale and the Redbirds rebuild their entire management team. “You don’t play to not lose, you play to win.”
The day after the Rossoneri failed to qualify for the Champions League, they sacked manager Max Allegri, sporting director Igli Tare, CEO Giorgio Furlani and technical director Jeffrey Moncada and won a clean sweep.
After careful consideration, they decided not to appoint a new sporting director or technical director, streamlining the process and giving Cardinale, the Redbirds’ CEO, even more power.
Calvelli was officially announced as Milan’s new chief executive today, as the Redbirds oust the last remaining representative from former owner Elliott Management.
A transfer strategy summit was held at Casa Milan, attended by Cardinale, Calvelli, director of player trading Hendrik Almstadt, director of football intelligence Bobby Gardiner and chief scout Donato Lomonte.
Calvelli appointed as Milan’s new CEO
“Since joining the Redbirds last year, Massimo has emerged as a leader and promoter of organizational design that brings people together and establishes a culture of cooperation and professionalism,” Cardinale said in a statement on the club’s official website.
“Massimo has co-led our investment in AC Milan alongside Redbird partner David Castelblanco, both of whom report to me. In the current situation, senior executives are often required to make the most important investments ‘in-house’ to ensure best-in-class execution. Massimo has demonstrated his ability to be effective in all of these areas as he integrated into AC Milan last year.
“The mission is clear: in everything AC Milan does, we do not play not to lose, we play to win, but most importantly on the field.
“The entire AC Milan organization will benefit greatly from his full-time appointment and the sense of urgency to deliver a winning culture and results for the club.”
His comment, “We play to win,” was seen as a mockery of former manager Allegri, who is currently fighting for an increase in his severance pay to take over as manager at Napoli.
Mr. Calvelli previously worked in the sports industry, serving as CEO of the ATP Tennis Circuit from 2020 to 2025.
“The opportunity to lead AC Milan through this important period in its football trajectory and in the landscape of Italian football as a whole is something I take very seriously and with a deep sense of urgency,” Calvelli said on the club’s website.
“The mission from Jerry is to bring back to AC Milan a culture of winning and results on and off the field, a culture worthy of the tradition that the club represents within the European football community and its more than 600 million fans around the world.
“I have spent a full year working with senior management at the club across all departments and have a first-hand understanding of what needs to be fixed and innovated.
“Personally, I am excited to work closely with new head coach Ruben Amorim and his team. They are already integrated and working well with the existing senior football leadership.”
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