“Sarà romantico”: Berlusconi’s plans for AC Monza

Fate has not been particularly kind to Silvio Berlusconi in recent years. The former head of government has lost importance in Italian politics, and the 84-year-old also repeatedly struggles with health problems. In September he was infected with the coronavirus and was treated in hospital for ten days. But now the billionaire and media mogul is planning his next coup – on the football field.

Berlusconi is considered an absolute sports nut. He has already invested in football, ice hockey and basketball in Milan. Two years ago, long-time FC South Tyrol rivals AC Monza finally bought it, which was promoted to Serie B in the summer. Now the club is aiming to make it to Serie A for the first time in its 108-year history. Despite the mediocre start to the season with two points from two games, that seems possible. Kevin-Prince Boateng, who was already successful under Berlusconi at AC Milan and came to Monza in the summer, should also help. Berlusconi ensured Milan's most glorious period Playing for Berlusconi gives the players enormous energy, said Monza sporting director Filippo Antonelli German press agency , because he had already “won everything” with Milan. Under Berlusconi, the Rossoneri won the Italian championship eight times and the Champions League five times between 1986 and 2011. Six years later, the billionaire sold the club to Chinese investors. His reasoning at the time was that he could no longer keep up financially with rival clubs.

In Monza, a city just 20 kilometers northeast of Milan, Berlusconi attempted a fresh start with a more suitable budget and the help of an old friend, Adriano Galliani. The 76-year-old was chairman and mastermind of AC Milan during Berlusconi's time and occupies the same position at Monza, his hometown club. Antonelli said he ultimately convinced Berlusconi to invest in the club. While the day-to-day running of the club is now in the hands of Galliani, Berlusconi focuses his influence on, among other things, the players' dressing room. “If you believe in it, you fight,” he immortalized his motto for the new season, “if you believe in it, you win.”

The 84-year-old, known for his vanity, also has clear ideas about what his team should look like, as he revealed in a press conference in 2018. Not only should the players be exclusively Italian, but they should also wear neat hairstyles, no beards, no earrings and “absolutely no tattoos”. But Berlusconi, who has had multiple cosmetic surgeries, has not yet been able to enforce these rules. Coach Cristian Brocchi, who used to play for Milan, has tattoos, as do some of the players. And in Boateng, the club has signed a Berlin native. There is only one goal: Serie A Nevertheless: Berlusconi is “in love” with his team, as he told the newspaper The citizen from Monza said. The club's slogan also promises a love story: “Sarà romantico” – it will be romantic. For Berlusconi, this relationship includes regular entertainment, which, in addition to praise and advice for his players, also includes anecdotes from his sex life, as a video of a dinner together showed.

But in addition to the eccentric owner, others also believe in AC Monza's success. “On paper they have everything they need for a great season,” said journalist Daniele Barone dpa . It remains to be seen whether the club is really ready for Serie A. At the beginning of September, Berlusconi's old club AC Milan beat Monza 4-1 in a friendly match.

Serie B Italy	SP	TV	P
1. Parma	34	59:32	70
2. As	34	54:37	67
3. Venice	34	62:39	64
4. Cremonese	34	43:28	60
5. Catanzaro	34	53:42	56
6. Palermo	34	58:48	52
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“Sarà romantico”: Berlusconi’s plans for AC Monza

Despite scandals, illnesses and battles with the judiciary: former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is still there. Now the 84-year-old is planning his comeback in Italy's first football league.

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