Fabio Paratici will not be – barring unexpected developments – the next sporting director of AC Milan, and a meeting with the FIGC president swayed the club.
Just when the negotiations to define his appointment were coming to an end, with a verbal agreement reached, there was a sudden and abrupt slowdown in the talks. As Corriere della Sera (via Calciomercato.com) report, there were a couple if reasons that prompted the change of heart.
Firstly, there were doubts about how operational Paratici can be between now and the expiry of his ban on July 20. Then there are the unknowns linked to the criminal proceedings – namely the Prisma investigation – and a possible further punishment.
There was an inability to find a synthesis between Milan’s lawyers and those of Paratici on the insertion of an exit clause in favour of the club in the event of a conviction. The perplexities and fears could not be resolved quickly, and were fuelled by a meeting with the president of the FIGC Gabriele Gravina.
In his role as the highest representative of the body that determines the rules, he could not hide his concerns that Milan were talking with Paratici. Above all, he informed Milan of ‘the dark aspects of the case’, which led to the negotiations stopping.
Milan would have run the risk of incurring sanctions for objective liability if Paratici held contact with agents or was given access to the dressing rooms before the end of his suspension. Milan need someone who can get their teeth into the rebuild immediately, so have gone down another path.
