AC Milan are the second most successful team in the history of the European Cup, only behind Real Madrid. However, the last time they won the tournament was 17 years ago under the management of Carlo Ancelotti.
Now, the famous Rossoneri are undergoing a renewal of players that, during the 2021-2022 season, was key to secure their first Serie A title after more than a decade-long trophy drought.
However, in what could be a shocking development in soccer, AC Milan could be suspended from the Champions League and any European competition. These are the details of what happened with the team’s front office.
Why AC Milan could be banned from Champions League?
According to a report from EFE, there’s a big problem off the field for AC Milan. If it is confirmed that the transfer of ownership of the club between the American funds Elliot and RedBird did not take place legally, AC Milan risk facing both financial penalties and sporting sanctions.
As a consequence, big punishments could come not only in Serie A, but also in all European competitions supervised by UEFA. Of course, the Champions League is at stake.
“If AC Milan have lied, concealing ownership that does not correspond to what they claim it is, the club could face sanctions, including exclusion from UEFA competitions, financial fines or reaching an agreement with UEFA,” declared Angelo Cascella for EFE. He is a lawyer specialized in sports law and former member of the European Court of Arbitration for Sport.
What happened with AC Milan?
This week, the Italian financial police raided AC Milan’s headquarters in search of documents to corroborate the transfer between the investment funds, now cast into doubt. Everything indicates that it is still the Elliot fund that maintains control of the team.
The information by EFE points out that there are documents from AC Milan used to attract investors from Arab funds. These documents could be a form of acknowledgment of ownership by the Elliot fund and not the current RedBird fund.
In this case, the authorities in Italy could declare a crime related to obstruction of supervisory activity by the Italian Football Federation regarding the legal requirements of companies owning football teams. AC Milan may not have correctly communicated its change of ownership, leading to this investigation.
The significant issue is that if AC Milan lied, concealing ownership that doesn’t correspond accurately, the club could face sanctions or exclusion from the Champions League.
