Milan President Paolo Scaroni ‘won’t confirm’ the Rossoneri will sack Stefano Pioli but insists the coach will remain in charge ‘until the end of the season’ before deciding on his future alongside club directors.
Scaroni spoke about Milan’s season and Pioli’s future at San Siro during an event organised by the Italian newspaper Il Foglio on Wednesday morning.
The Rossoneri saw their city rivals Inter win their 20th Serie A title on Monday night after a 2-1 victory in the Derby della Madonnina. Inter have emerged victorious in the last six meetings with the Diavoli.
“It was a difficult day. We’d love to win against Inter sometimes; we’ve lost too many consecutive games [against the Nerazzurri],” Scaroni admitted, as quoted by Milannews.
“The season is not over yet and we must fight for the second placement. It’s been a good season, perhaps not excellent, but we’ve had many injuries so we must consider this. Inter deserved to win the title, so congratulations to them, including Marotta and Antonello.”
Scaroni: ‘Pioli the Milan coach until the end of the season’
Scaroni was asked to confirm Pioli would not be Milan’s coach in 2024-25.
“No, I won’t. Pioli is our coach, and he will remain until the end of the season,” he replied.
“I am confident Pioli will help us get the victories we need to finish second. Pioli and the directors will assess the future, but I’d like to avoid talking about this issue until the end of the season.”
Pioli’s contract expires in June 2025, but growing reports suggest he will leave the club in the summer. Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani said on Monday night that owner Gerry Cardinale would make the final decision.
The Rossoneri will finish a second consecutive season empty-handed, so who was the biggest disappointment to the club President?
“I wasn’t disappointed. Sometimes in the stands behind me, I saw the entire Milan defence: Thiaw, Tomori, Kalulu,” he noted.
“They were all injured and I thought the defence was there with me rather than on the pitch. It’s not just this, but it was a negative ingredient of the season.”
Scaroni on Milan’s new stadium
How about Milan’s new stadium?
“San Donato is more than an option; we’ve spent over €40m to buy the area,” Scaroni confirmed.
“The project goes forward with the usual Italian problems. A loud minority is enough to convince politicians to take a step back. Sala has asked us to consider a San Siro refurbishment and let him know by June. We await the details and how the refurbishment would impact the capacity during the season.”
More must-reads: