AC Milan |
|
Full name |
Associazione Calcio Milan SpA |
Nickname(s) |
Rossoneri (Red-Blacks)
Il Diavolo (The Devil) |
Founded |
December 16, 1899 |
Ground |
San Siro
(Stadio Giuseppe Meazza), Milan |
Capacity |
85,700 |
Chairman |
Silvio Berlusconi |
Head Coach |
Carlo Ancelotti |
League |
Serie A |
2005-06 |
Serie A, 2nd (reassigned as 3rd) |
|
Associazione Calcio Milan is an Italian football club based in Milan. They play in red and black stripes, giving them the nickname Rossoneri ("red-blacks"). The team is known colloquially as Milan, while its city rivals are known in English, simply as Inter. One of the most successful clubs in the world, A.C. Milan has won the prestigious UEFA Champions League (or equivalent) seven times, the World Club crown (Intercontinental Cup) 3 times, the Serie A title 17 times (only rivals Juventus F.C. have more Scudetti) and the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) five times. In total they have won a record 13 European trophies, previously being tied with Real Madrid with 12. It is also one of the most supported football clubs in the world, and along with Juventus and Inter are one of the most popular teams in Italy.
The club was founded as a cricket club in 1899 by Alfred Edwards, a British expatriate. In honour of its origins, the club has retained the English spelling of its city's name, instead of changing it to the Italian Milano (though it was forced to do it during the fascist regime, like Genoa and Inter); it should be noted that the Italian pronunciation is actually MEE-lahn, even though the English one is the same as in the local dialect and many other dialects of Northern Italy.
Historically, AC Milan was supported by the city's working class and trade unionists many of whom were migrants from the South of Italy. Inter, the other big club from the city was mainly supported by the more prosperous and typically Milanese middle-class. However, in recent years, the clubs have seen a notable reversal in their political positions, since Milan is now owned by media magnate and past conservative Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi, while Inter is now owned by a centre-left oil businessperson, Massimo Moratti. However, AC Milan's fans still tend to be mainly left-wing as opposed to Inter Milan fans who always have been traditionally right-wing. In 1980 Milan were involved in the Totonero scandal and were relegated to Serie B as punishment. The scandal was centred on a betting syndicate paying players and officials to fix the outcome of matches. Milan were involved in the 2006 Serie A scandal where five teams were accused of fixing matches by selecting favourable referees. Milan were punished with a 15 point deduction, which was later reduced to 8 points on appeal.