AC Milan Sacks Manager Massimiliano Allegri and CEO Giorgio Furlani Over 'Unequivocal Failure' of 2024-25 Season
Key keywords: AC Milan, Massimiliano Allegri, Giorgio Furlani, 2024-25 Serie A season, Milan managerial sacking, Milan season failure, UEFA Champions League, RedBird Capital, San Siro fan protests
AC Milan officially announced the dismissal of first-team manager Massimiliano Allegri and chief executive officer Giorgio Furlani on Wednesday, citing the "unequivocal failure" of the 2024-25 campaign as the core reason for the unprecedented double sacking. The decision comes after months of growing fan anger, poor on-pitch results, and repeated unmet expectations from the club’s ownership group, RedBird Capital.
At the time of the announcement, AC Milan sits in 8th place in the Serie A table, 22 points behind cross-city rivals and league leaders Inter Milan, and failed to progress past the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in four seasons. The club was also eliminated from the Coppa Italia in the round of 16 by lower-division side Fiorentina, a result that sparked widespread boos and protest banners from fans at the San Siro during the team’s next home fixture, with thousands of supporters leaving the stadium 15 minutes before the final whistle.
Allegri, who previously managed Milan to a Serie A title in 2011, returned to the club in the summer of 2023 on a three-year contract, with ownership tapping him to lead the team back to domestic and European glory. However, his defensive, counter-attack focused tactics drew consistent criticism from fans and pundits alike, with the team scoring just 38 goals in 32 Serie A matches this season, the lowest tally among the league’s top 10 clubs. His constant lineup rotations and refusal to integrate young academy players also frustrated supporters who had grown used to the attacking, high-pressing style deployed under previous manager Stefano Pioli.
Furlani, who took over as CEO in 2022 following RedBird’s acquisition of the club, oversaw three consecutive transfer windows where the club spent more than €250 million on new signings, nearly all of whom failed to live up to expectations. High-profile arrivals including a €70 million striker who scored just 4 goals all season and a €40 million midfielder who spent most of the campaign sidelined with injury or left on the bench were repeatedly cited as evidence of mismanagement in the club’s front office.
In an official statement, the club’s board noted that "the results of this season fall far below the historical standards and ambitions of AC Milan. We have a responsibility to our millions of fans worldwide to make difficult but necessary changes to return this club to the top of European football." The club confirmed that youth team manager Ignazio Abate will serve as interim head coach for the remaining six matches of the season, while a global search for a permanent manager and new CEO is already underway.
Featured Comments
As a Milan season ticket holder for 12 years, this was the only acceptable decision left for the board. We’ve watched our team get outplayed by mid-table sides week after week, and neither Allegri’s negative, boring tactics nor Furlani’s disastrous transfer moves gave us any hope things would get better. This is the first step to getting our club back on track.
This double sacking is a rare but necessary move for a top European club. Too many teams stick with underperforming managers and executives out of misplaced loyalty, but Milan’s leadership recognized that the entire structure around the first team was broken. It will be fascinating to see who they bring in to rebuild ahead of next season, especially with a limited transfer budget reportedly on the table.
Allegri’s second spell at Milan was a massive disappointment from start to finish. He abandoned the attacking identity that made Milan so beloved under Pioli, and his constant public criticism of his players killed any chemistry the squad had. Furlani’s failure to land a reliable striker and upgrade the midfield was just as big a problem, so both dismissals are completely justified.
As a neutral Serie A fan, I’m shocked it took Milan this long to make this call. The gap between them and Inter has never been wider, and they were at risk of missing out on European competition entirely next season. They need to hire a manager with a clear, modern style and a CEO who knows how to identify talent that fits that style if they want to compete again.