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AC Milan legend Zvonimir Boban has hit out at former Arsenal chief Ivan Gazidis after being axed from his role as the Serie A side's Chief Football Officer on Saturday.

A civil war within the Italian giants has been brewing, with Gazidis appearing to be heavily involved in the sporting side of the club that should have been under the remit of Boban and fellow Milan legend Paolo Maldini.

Gazidis recently moved to bring Ralf Rangnick to the club, who has a proven track record of making shrewd signings and turning them into stars, with the German currently serving as head of sport and development for Red Bull GmbH - the parent organisation of clubs like RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg.

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It has been suggested that Rangnick will be given full control, essentially acting as coach, technical director and chief scout, with the deal seemingly taking place behind the backs of both Boban and Maldini.

In a recent interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport , Boban said: "Until a few days ago, I didn't think it were true that there were two souls within Milan, albeit taking into account all the thousand initial difficulties, cultural differences and very different passions for the Rossoneri cause.

"Not even warning us was disrespectful and inelegant. It was not the Milan style. At least not what we remembered the Milan style as being."

Boban has now been axed by Gazidis at the Serie A side and has not taken his time to hit back at his former boss, making a bold comparison in an interview with Il Giornale.

"I wasn't aware we were in a dictatorship like North Korea.

"My interview [with Gazzetta] was legally impeccable and it arrived after many questions and demands for in-house clarification went unanswered.

"They closed a deal with Rangnick in December. I can wish him all the luck in the world, but they [Gazidis] needed to tell me about this. I deserved to be informed of the initiative."