One of Silvio Berlusconi's right-hand men, the president of the Mediaset Spa broadcasting empire Fedele Confalonieri, has expressed his concern about the state of Milan's two football clubs.
Confalonieri was present at the San Siro on Sunday night to witness the 1-1 draw between AC Milan and Inter Milan, who are currently closer in terms of points to the bottom of Serie A than they are to the summit.
The two clubs have struggled of late, and Sunday's performance in front of one of the biggest crowds for a Derby della Madonnina in years was further proof of their decline as Juventus and Roma look set to contest this year's league title.
"I saw a poor derby between two sides who are nothing special," Confalieri said at an awards ceremony in Parma. "I did enjoy myself at times, but then again, I can enjoy myself watching a parish kickabout too. I didn't see any noteworthy passes, any inventions or touches worthy of a champion."
That, according to Confalonieri, is due at least in Milan's case to the departure of Andrea Pirlo on a free transfer three years ago.
"I've still not digested how we let Pirlo go," he said. "We gave Juventus the architect of their successes. Now it's going to be hard to get back to the top again. It's going to take a lot of investment."
Yet in the absence of funds, Milan are going to have to invest in enthusiasm -- or rather Filippo Inzaghi, according to Confalieri.
"I like him a lot -- he's fanatical like [Arrigo] Sacchi and [Jose] Mourinho," he added. "He has an obsessive attention to detail; he speaks to the players a lot and makes his voice heard.
"Once upon a time, you would see throngs of kids playing football in the streets but you don't see that anymore. That means the passion for the game is evaporating and the youth academies are suffering.
"I'm not optimistic for the future. As a lover of football, I can't see any Italian Mozart or Chopin on the horizon."