GdS: ‘Derby within a derby’ – Milan-Roma a European clash in Italy with an American twist

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·10 April 2024

GdS: ‘Derby within a derby’ – Milan-Roma a European clash in Italy with an American twist

One doesn’t have to look too far to find the sub-plots and narratives attached to AC Milan’s Europa League tie against Roma, with the first leg tomorrow night.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) talks about the all-Italian clash on the European stage with an American feel. Milan-Roma will be the 20th Italian Euroderby, making things perhaps a bit greater than a normal Europa League quarter-final.

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The addition to all this is that we are not only faced with an Italian derby but also an American derby. On one side there is Gerry Cardinale, the owner of RedBird Capital who in turn own Milan, then on the other there is Dan Friedkin.

The headline reads: ‘America is here. Cardinale-Friedkin, it’s a derby within a derby. Soul made in the USA and Italian business’. The two Americans, like many compatriots, have invested in football across the Atlantic.

The two clubs and their way of running them cannot be compared, but Cardinale has the spirit of a financial man while Friedkin has the entrepreneurial soul.

What is certain is that both have the idea of exploiting the communication, media and entertainment sectors in partnership with the sports sector.

RedBird’s turnover is €10bn, while the Friedkin Group’s is €11bn, but they are two different sectors and the one linked to Rome was born decades before Cardinale’s company.

Cardinale is expected to be at San Siro for the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against AS Roma this week, with more than just the match on his mind.