MILAN (AP) 鈥� AC Milan named Massimo Calvelli as chief executive officer on Friday in a bid to 鈥渂ring a winning culture鈥� back to the club.
The 51-year-old Calvelli replaces Giorgio Furlani, who was fired by U.S. owner, RedBird Capital Partners, last month as after what it deemed 鈥渁n unequivocal failure鈥� of a season.
鈥淭he mandate is clear 鈥� we will play to win, instead of playing not to lose 鈥� in everything that AC Milan touches, but most importantly on the field,鈥� RedBird managing partner Gerry Cardinale said in .
鈥淭he entire organization at AC Milan will now benefit tremendously from his full time appointment and sense of urgency to bring a winning culture and results back to the club.鈥�
Calvelli will continue to serve as CEO International at RedBird Development Group and Operating Partner at RedBird Capital Partners. A former professional tennis player, he was previously ATP CEO from 2020-25.
鈥淪ince joining RedBird last year, Massimo has distinguished himself as a leader and driver of organizational design that brings people together and establishes a culture of collaboration and professionalism,鈥� Cardinale added.
鈥淥ur model at RedBird often requires our senior leadership to go 鈥渋n house鈥� in our most important investments to ensure best in class execution, especially in situations requiring change and innovation.鈥�
Milan spent much of last season in the top two positions and fighting for the Serie A title. But a run of only two wins in its last eight matches dropped it to fifth on and saw it miss out on Champions League qualification.
That led to a number of dismissals, including coach Massimiliano Allegri. He was earlier this month.
鈥淭he opportunity to lead AC Milan as it navigates this critical moment in its football trajectory, as well as within the overall state of Italian football, is something I take very seriously and with a profound sense of urgency,鈥� Calvelli said.
鈥淭he mandate from Gerry is to bring a culture of winning and results both on and off the field back to AC Milan 鈥� I鈥檝e had a full year working collaboratively with the senior leadership of the club across all functions and have a hands-on sense of what needs to be fixed and innovated.鈥�
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