Club Profile - AC Milan
A.C. Milan, sometimes referred to as just Milan, are one of the biggest football clubs in Italian, and even European, football. Domestically, over the years, Milan have won 17 Serie A titles, and 4 Copa Italias. It is in Europe, though,
where their record stands out against the biggest teams in the world. The Italian giants have lifted the European Cup on seven different occasions, a feat only topped by the record-holders Real Madrid.
In the last decade, Milan have won the title twice, once in 2003, when they defeated bitter rivals Inter Milan on their way to the final, which they won against another Italian team (Juventus) on penalties. The second victory came against
Liverpool in 2007, in a match that was a replay of the 2006 UEFA Champions League final, in which Liverpool came from 3-0 down to snatch the title away from Milan.
The Club was founded in 1899, but Milan as we know it today was perhaps formed in 1908. Due to internal conflicts, there were serious differences in how the club should be run, specifically on the question of whether it was appropriate
to recruit players from abroad. The disagreements eventually led to the formation of Milan's bitter rivals, Inter. As it happened, Inter decided that they would be open to foreign players whereas Milan stuck to their Italian roots, which is how it stayed for
them for a number of years to come. Now, of course, those policies have been abandoned, and Milan have a number of foreigners playing in their teams.
Milan's history has been damaged by two very serious match-fixing scandals. In 2006, just before the World Cup in Germany, the Italian police uncovered a network of relations between teams and referees. Telephonic
conversations between club officials and referees were uncovered, and allegations against some of the biggest clubs in Italy were proved, beyond reasonable doubt, including A.C Milan.
The punishments awarded initially were going to lead to the relegation of Milan from the Serie A but upon appeal, the punishment was reduced to just an 8 point deduction. This meant that they could still qualify for the Champions League
and ironically, they went on to win the competition. Add to this, Italy also won the 2006 World Cup with a team that included many of the accused team's players.
The other match-fixing scandal that plagued the club is known as Totonero. In 1980, speculation broke out that several Italian clubs were involved in match-fixing and Milan was one of the names mentioned. Charges were drawn, and eventually
the club was found guilty and so punishments were dished out. In the case of Totonero, a number of players were also given bans, notably Paolo Rossi, who was banned for 3 years. The ban, interestingly, ended just in time for the 1982 World Cup which Italy
won, just as they did in 2006 after the scandal, and Paolo Rossi won both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball (awarded to the best player of the tournament). The Italians, in particular it seems, react rather well to adversity.
The last season, for Milan, was a disappointing one. Their title challenge failed to test Inter, who under Mourinho completely dominated the Domestic and European scene. Milan finished the season without a trophy, in third place, 12 points
behind the champions Inter. After selling their play-maker, Kaka, Milan have really struggled to cope with the demands of a league season. However, now they have a totally fresh striking force.
Manager Leonardo was fired after the 2009-2010 season and has been replaced by Massimiliano Allegri, who has signed a two year contract with the club. The new coach has promised to build a winning squad, and he has as they are leading
the points table at the moment with the help of the "winning squad" that he promised. The team now has outstanding strikers like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho and the Manchester City flop, Robinho.
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