IT IS NO secret that Milan’s management has taken a treacherous course in how they are dealing with the club lately.

From Berlusconi’s war of words and taunting of his self-appointed Coach Clarence Seedorf, to CEO Adriano Galliani’s refusal to step down and allow for fresh ideas to be injected into the club, it is obvious to everyone whether affiliated with the club or just looking on, that Milan is destined for an embarrassing road ahead if nothing changes, and changes quickly.

Fresh off his community service sentencing, the Rossoneri owner made a comment to the press that even “retirement home people could control the locker room,” referring to his disapproval of how Seedorf has been running the show. This is a purely classless and embarrassing move by Berlusconi who had appointed Seedorf himself after the sacking of previous Milan boss Massimiliano Allegri. With no clear justification for his actions, that is indeed no way to repay someone who graciously retired from football at your request to become the manager of a club he had starred at for so many years.

Berlusconi: “Retirement home people could control locker room”

Seedorf: “Berlusconi? My only focus is on the match”

Instead of playing the media game and shaming himself and the club even further than their dismal performance this term, Berlusconi should be studying his options on how to inject a lifeline of cash into the club for the front office to do their job and sign Milan level talent. The last few transfer windows have been painstakingly dry in terms of financial assistance from the club owner and this summer is all but the same story since Milan looks destined for league play only in 2014/2015.

Turning to the case of AC Milan CEO, Adriano Galliani, he is also to blame for the state the club is in. Inexplicably splashing 11 million euros on a player that was not worth the money instead of enforcing a dire need in defense proves that the once mighty deal maker has completely lost his touch. Galliani without an unlimited amount of bank notes at his disposal, is as useful as a car factory without metal. His refusal to step down and make way for club legends, namely Paolo Maldini, to join the club in an administrative role is hurting the development of Milan.

The Rossoneri are in dire need of fresh ideas and a plan forward for how the club will rise through the ranks again and become one of the top teams in Europe. The Berlusconi household is not completely inept, as the daughter of the owner, Barbara Berlusconi, aged only 29, has proved to have the business acumen of a seasoned executive. The problem lies in the power struggle between her and Galliani who refuses to allow her any reign to make the needed changes at the club.

A comment from one of the blog followers a few days ago hit the nail on the head when he quoted a famous Batman – The Dark Knight quote that says, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain.” That is exactly the situation at Milan now. Both Berlusconi and Galliani have been living in their twilight years too long and now they are bringing down the club that they built at a tremendous pace without even realizing it, or maybe they do, but are too stubborn to give up control.

The plan ahead for Milan is quite clear for anyone with the slightest understanding of the game and of business in general. Build your own stadium to generate income from ticket sales, stadium sponsorship opportunities and rental of the venue for events. Develop a clear youth project and begin investing in it to develop talent in-house that can put Milan and Italy back on the footballing map where they belong. The good thing is the tools are all in place for this to happen, there just needs to be an active management that takes advantage of the resources at hand and keeps pushing the boundaries and striving for success rather than mediocrity.

As always, Forza Milan!