Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 9y

AC Milan fans barrack general manager Adriano Galliani

AC Milan players and coach Sinisa Mihajlovic were cheered but the club's general manager Adriano Galliani was jeered at a presentation to around 3,000 fans in the city.

The arrival of Mihajlovic, coupled with some heavy summer investment, has sparked renewed enthusiasm among fans of a club that has missed out on a place in Europe in the last two seasons.

Ahead of the Milan derby with Inter on Sunday, Milan paraded players and officials at their Casa Milan headquarters -- and Galliani got a hostile reception.

His transfer dealings in recent years, along with failed attempts to appoint Carlo Ancelotti and buy Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer, have led to derision.

"The real transfer coup would be if you were to resign," one banner in the crowd read, while another asked: "Galliani: when are you undergoing your medical?"

But coach Mihajlovic was quick to shift the focus towards Sunday's derby, telling the crowd: "This is a big year for us. Milan have not been Milan for the past two or three years.

"We're all convinced that we can have a great season this year. We could have done better so far, but we'll make up for it in the derby."

Milan have won one and lost one of their opening two Serie A fixtures and go into the derby trailing Inter, officially the derby hosts at the shared San Siro, by three points.

Sunday could also see Mario Balotelli make his second debut, with Galliani confirming he has seen plenty of positive signs from the Italian striker since he returned to the club on loan from Liverpool.

"His conduct has been extraordinary," Galliani told reporters. "He's realised that he needed to change. Technically he's not lacking anything, and it all depends on him."

^ Back to Top ^