GdS: Rivals in all areas but one – Inter vs. Milan is Marotta vs. Cardinale | OneFootball

Gerry Cardinale and Beppe Marotta are rivals in nearly every way, but there is one thing that unites both them and the two clubs AC Milan and Inter.

La Gazzetta dello Sport talks about Cardinale and Marotta as being ‘united for the construction of a new San Siro’ but then ‘divided by an inevitable rivalry on the pitch that sometimes ends up in heated exchanges’.

The history of the Milan derby is full of flash points, and the fact that both ownership groups are now American does not change the tradition. The vision of the Oaktree and RedBird funds is common: having a new modern home to share will increase revenues, but will halve the cost of building it.

The road to building a new facility next to the current San Siro is not easy, but it is already underway. By the first quarter of 2025, the teams will have to present a proposal including the offer to purchase the area (valued at €197m) and the updated feasibility project.

If there is no interest in the area from other parties, the purchase and sale contract will be signed by July 2025 and the final project will be created at a later date, including the redevelopment of part of the current San Siro.

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The total cost, which will include not only the stadium but also all the other works, will be around €1.2bn and the facility could be ready for the start of the 2029-30 season. However, it must be noted that Milan are keeping the San Donato idea alive too.

Having common interests does not, however, push the two clubs to feel the derby fever any less. The celebrations for the second Nerazzurri star are still in the worst nightmares of Milan fans, even if nobody among the Inter ranks went ‘over the top’.

This season, however, there has been some friction. President Paolo Scaroni, for example, during the presentation of the book for the 125th anniversary of the Rossoneri club, proudly said: “After so many years, being president of the only team in Milan gives me great emotion.”

Cardinale, in a study conducted by the Harvard Business School on Milan, said: “Inter won the title and then went bankrupt. Is this really what we want?”. The Nerazzurri president Marotta responded promptly.

“Out of place, inappropriate and disrespectful statements. We went from -246 million to -36, winning the Scudetto, the Super Cup and earning the second star. We are the only team in Milan that has it,” he stated.

A few days later, Scaroni closed the case in the Corriere della Sera: “Cardinale was referring to the previous owners of Inter [Suning and the Zhang family] and certainly not to the Nerazzurri as a club.”

In Riyadh there was only a hint of rivalry when a photo of a smiling Marotta giving Ibrahimovic an Inter shirt with two stars circulated on social media. A provocation? No, because the same gift was also given to Juve, Atalanta and Ambassador Baldocci.