Milan speak, Massaro style

He was a part of two great AC Milan sides, the first under Arrigo Sacchi and then Fabio Capello. He earned 15 caps for Italy and was part of the squad that won the 1982 World Cup in such stunning fashion.

Now the public relations manager of Milan, Daniele Massaro arrived in Singapore yesterday, ahead of today's grand launch of the AC Milan Football School here.

In a candid interview with The New Paper yesterday, the much decorated former striker admitted he would think twice about bringing his wife and daughter to a Serie A game these days.

Fan violence marred the Copa Italia final between Napoli and Fiorentina on Sunday, while the spectre of racism continues to haunt the Italian game.

Massaro (right) believes that unless authorities back any talk with concrete action, such problems will continue to plague Italian football.

Racism and fan violence have been long-standing problems in Italian football. Why have they been allowed to persist?

Massaro: In Italy, the authorities talk about hooliganism but in the end, no action is taken. In England, you see families with their children enjoying football matches together in the stadia.

I remember watching on TV Inter Milan fans throwing a motorbike from the third or second level of the stadium a few years back.

That's the problem in Italy. I'm afraid of going to the stadium with my family.

In England, you throw one coin and you're out of the stadium.

The situation is okay there now, but in Italy, the authorities are not strict enough.

You played at a time when Italian football dominated European football, but Serie A has been struggling for some time. What's behind the slide?

The first problem is the tax rate. These days in Italy, you pay 60 per cent while in my time it was 45.

In Spain, you pay 30, 34 per cent and in France and England, you have many rich presidents.

If you are a top player and had to choose between Liverpool and AC Milan, it's a no-brainer if you have to choose between paying 50 per cent more tax and signing for the top team in England.

For me, the Premier League is the top league in all of Europe and I like it because the mentality of the players is different.

In Serie A, only one team has money to spend on building a good team in the summer and that's Juventus.

They've won the league for the last three years and they own their stadium.

For clubs like Milan, it's difficult because the club don't own the stadium.

It makes a big difference. Just look at Manchester United for example - they made around 70 million euros from commercial revenue only.

It's very easy for teams like Paris St Germain or Manchester City or Chelsea to put in money to make the best team while it's tough for teams like Milan, where we've only just broken even in our last financial report after years of losses.

Singaporean businessman Peter Lim has reportedly made a bid to buy Milan. Is it time for owner Silvio Berlusconi to sell?

Berlusconi bought AC Milan in 1986 and has been at the club for so long.

I think he's just a little tired because I remember from my time that he came to Milanello (Milan's training ground) every Saturday to meet the team and followed every game at the San Siro.

Now, he doesn't have the time to follow the team and his daughter Barbara has just started her career at the club as a director.

I don't think Berlusconi wants to sell the club, but it also depends on investment.

You played at Milan for 10 years alongside one-club legends like Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini. What made Milan so special?

When Silvio Berlusconi decided to take on a new young coach in Arrigo Sacchi, we changed everything - the mentality, the tactics, everything.

We won for five years and it continued with Fabio Capello even though the mentality was completely different.

The secret was that all the players were very professional and were all good men.

I remember under Sacchi that if players like Marco van Basten didn't perform in training, he'd be on the bench.

The club bring out character.

I had the best work in the world - take the car, go to Milanello, train and get a massage.

All in a beautiful place that was quiet with no problems.

Now, some players are more concerned about other things like publicity and not focused on training or the game.

You've said Diego Maradona is the best player you've gone up against. How do players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi compare to him?

No, for me the best is Maradona.

I've played against top players like Zico, Platini, Ronaldo, Rummenigge and Matthaus but Maradona was absolutely the best, although I was also lucky to play with Marco van Basten.

Maradona was the genius. It was like he was born with the ball - he was unbelievable.

One time I was playing golf in Cuba, I heard a commotion and I turned around and saw a guy who was very, very fat.

He was wearing a red singlet and it was Diego, although I thought it was impossible.

He took a golf ball on a par-four hole and juggled it all the way to the hole - he's the No. 1.

It's completely different for players like Ronaldo and Messi because they're playing against defenders who aren't of the same level as those from my time.

With all due respect, Maradona played against players like Gentile, Bergomi, Baresi, Maldini and Tassoti - it was a lot more difficult in my time against the best defenders.

Some people say Pep Guardiola's Barcelona and Jupp Heynckes' Bayern Munich were the best club sides of all time. What about your AC Milan?

Everyone's entitled to his own opinion, but back in my time, it was a lot harder to win the European Cup or the Champions League because you couldn't make any mistakes.

If you lost once, you're out, while now, you have the group stage where you have one or two games to get it right.

In terms of level, I'm so sorry, but my team were better than any of them for organisation.

All the players didn't think about themselves, only about the team.

WHAT: Meet and Greet Daniele Massaro at the AC Milan Football School in Singapore Grand Launch

WHERE: The Rainforest Sports Hub, Turf City

WHEN: Today, 5 to 8pm

Tomorrow: Massaro talks Scolari's Brazil and Prandelli's Italy at the World Cup

This article was published on May 7 in The New Paper.

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