Paulo Teixeira on Wednesday, 20 February 2013
According
to Deloitte Football Money League 2013 report, AC Milan, sitting in
eighth place, are the leading Italian club, collecting revenues of
€256.9 million during the 2011/12 season.
Since 1986, the club has been under the grip of Fininvest s.p.a., one of the several companies owned by the Berlusconi family. When Silvio Berlusconi (77) took over, he enthroned Adriano Galliani (68) as general manager and former player Ariedo Braida (67) as sports director. Together, they sum up 212 years of age, almost twice the age of the club itself (114, founded in 1899). After 27 years in power, in retirement age, the Santissima Trinità (Holy Trinity), as it is known, is still going strong. A Holy Trinity hardly moving with the times, though, when it comes to understanding the power of social media.
As back-up for managerial purposes, the club can count on the loyal and unfailing support of a team composed of 10 consigliere (advisers). Among them, star attorney Leandro Cantamessa, who also runs AC Milan’s legal division.
Cantamessa and his crew are battling at FIFA a claim lodged by Brazilian club Botafogo FC for an unpaid training compensation of €300,000 – which represents roughly 3 days of subsistence allowance Berlusconi was ordered to pay to his former wife Veronica Lario by a Milan court in December 2012.
The flaws and blunders of the Ceregatti case have been exposed thoroughly on this page – which led to a complaint lodged by Cantamessa to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on behalf of his client.
Astonishing as it may seem for a law firm of this standing, AC Milan requested FIFA - a private company, not a legal institution - “to prosecute Mr. Teixeira”. The club will surely have been disappointed when it heard of the action taken by FIFA - a 2-month suspension of my license. This however, was the maximum penalty football's governing body could wield without giving grounds for appeal. FIFA’s media department was swift to tweet their action under the headline: “First member of football family to be suspended/fined because of social media use”.
What is totally unknown to the public, however, is the negotiation that occurred backstage between the two clubs. Both parties now appear to be losers: Botafogo, desperately in need of the money; AC Milan, enduring the collateral image damage on the web.
“It’s better a bad deal than a good fight” exchanged the lawyers by email. But AC Milan’s settlement proposals, which you may partially read below, were totally out of proportion. Who could imagine that the most successful club in world football in terms of international trophies would suffer of this kind of Fear Factor?
Since 1986, the club has been under the grip of Fininvest s.p.a., one of the several companies owned by the Berlusconi family. When Silvio Berlusconi (77) took over, he enthroned Adriano Galliani (68) as general manager and former player Ariedo Braida (67) as sports director. Together, they sum up 212 years of age, almost twice the age of the club itself (114, founded in 1899). After 27 years in power, in retirement age, the Santissima Trinità (Holy Trinity), as it is known, is still going strong. A Holy Trinity hardly moving with the times, though, when it comes to understanding the power of social media.
As back-up for managerial purposes, the club can count on the loyal and unfailing support of a team composed of 10 consigliere (advisers). Among them, star attorney Leandro Cantamessa, who also runs AC Milan’s legal division.
Cantamessa and his crew are battling at FIFA a claim lodged by Brazilian club Botafogo FC for an unpaid training compensation of €300,000 – which represents roughly 3 days of subsistence allowance Berlusconi was ordered to pay to his former wife Veronica Lario by a Milan court in December 2012.
The flaws and blunders of the Ceregatti case have been exposed thoroughly on this page – which led to a complaint lodged by Cantamessa to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee on behalf of his client.
Astonishing as it may seem for a law firm of this standing, AC Milan requested FIFA - a private company, not a legal institution - “to prosecute Mr. Teixeira”. The club will surely have been disappointed when it heard of the action taken by FIFA - a 2-month suspension of my license. This however, was the maximum penalty football's governing body could wield without giving grounds for appeal. FIFA’s media department was swift to tweet their action under the headline: “First member of football family to be suspended/fined because of social media use”.
What is totally unknown to the public, however, is the negotiation that occurred backstage between the two clubs. Both parties now appear to be losers: Botafogo, desperately in need of the money; AC Milan, enduring the collateral image damage on the web.
“It’s better a bad deal than a good fight” exchanged the lawyers by email. But AC Milan’s settlement proposals, which you may partially read below, were totally out of proportion. Who could imagine that the most successful club in world football in terms of international trophies would suffer of this kind of Fear Factor?
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