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Former Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has paid tribute to his successor Erick Thohir after he sold a majority stake in the club -- including Moratti's remaining shares -- to the Suning Holdings Group on Monday. Moratti confirmed that his 21-year association with the Nerazzurri was officially over after his 30 percent stake was sold on to Suning. But the 71-year-old defended the operation and praised Thohir for the work he has done since becoming club president at Inter in 2013. "Thohir took control of a very difficult thing and he did everything he could possibly have done," Moratti is quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "When he saw the difficulties mounting, he was ready and able to pass the baton to another group, as he had to do. I think he's done well." Moratti will no longer have a say over how Inter are run, although he is confident the new owners will act accordingly to re-establish the club as a force in Italian and European football. "I would like to remain friends with the new owners and certainly with Thohir also," he said. "But I don't think I will be an advisor or consultant, which I don't even know what that means. I'm not going to have any role at the club -- there's no need. "You only bid a final farewell when you let something go from your heart and that is never going to happen. I had a nice, cordial chat on the phone with the new chairman and his son, who is a very alert and nice lad. We're going to keep a friendly, faithful bond, but [I will have] no role. At the most, I will give words of advice like I have done in the past. "Like all fans, I expect this to re-launch the club, in their way with their decisions. But I am sure they have a re-launch in mind." That should not entail wholesale changes, though, with Moratti convinced that coach Roberto Mancini will be the man to lead the club forward. "I'm sure they will continue with Mancini," Moratti said. "But don't ask me if they are going to renew his contract, you have to ask them this. I also think that this change in ownership will enable them to negotiate with UEFA on the Financial Fair Play sanctions. "I think the fans can look forward to a good transfer market because they have the intention of doing that, bringing in new players, but above all not selling anybody who is already here."
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