If you thought your Monday was dramatic, try being an AC Milan fan. In a move that has absolutely paralyzed the football world, Milan’s American ownership group, RedBird Capital, did not just fire the manager yesterday—they completely decapitated the club’s entire sporting leadership in one brutal afternoon.
Following a catastrophic final-day meltdown at San Siro, RedBird Managing Partner Gerry Cardinale wielded the axe with zero mercy. Head coach Massimiliano Allegri, CEO Giorgio Furlani, sporting director Igli Tare, and technical director Geoffrey Moncada were all fired simultaneously.
The owners openly labeled the 2025/26 campaign an “unequivocal failure.” Here is the inside track on the massive San Siro massacre that has changed everything in Italy.
The Meltdown That Sparked the Massacre
Going into the final matchday of the Serie A season, Milan’s destiny was completely in their own hands. Sitting in third place, all they had to do was beat an unheralded Cagliari side at home to lock down a vital return to the UEFA Champions League.
Instead, the Rossoneri completely choked. After taking a 1-0 lead, a series of defensive horror shows saw them collapse to a devastating 2-1 defeat. As the final whistle blew, San Siro erupted into furious boos and protests.
With rivals Roma and Como both winning their respective matches, Milan was sensationally bumped down to fifth place. Missing out on the Champions League by a single point was the ultimate death sentence for the hierarchy. To make matters worse, with Juventus finishing sixth, next year will be the first time since the 1992 rebrand that the Champions League will take place without both Milan and Juve.
A Historic Late-Season Collapse
What makes this clean-out so shocking is how safe everyone looked just two months ago. Milan spent the vast majority of the season comfortably locked in the top two, even pushing for the Scudetto. Following a loss-free streak after opening day, the wheels completely fell off after a 1-0 defeat to Parma on February 22.
From that moment on, Allegri’s side went into freefall, winning just five of their final 13 matches while losing seven. RedBird made it clear that this dramatic tailspin was entirely unacceptable for a club of Milan’s stature.
“The final stretch was completely inconsistent with the performance up to that point,” RedBird said in an official statement. “It is now time for change and a comprehensive reorganization of football operations.”
Only Zlatan Survives the Bloodbath
In the ultimate twist of irony, the only high-profile figure to survive the RedBird cull is special advisor and club legend Zlatan Ibrahimović. Despite facing heavy criticism from the fans during the club’s late-season collapse, Ibrahimović has been retained by ownership.
Moving forward, Gerry Cardinale is expected to lean heavily on Zlatan to completely rebuild the club’s sports department from scratch. The duo is already working on hiring a new CEO and sporting director, while initial talks have reportedly opened with 43-year-old Spanish tactician Andoni Iraola to replace Allegri in the dugout.
With the entire management infrastructure erased in a single day, AC Milan is entering the summer transfer window completely blind, resetting a project that has left the passionate Rossoneri fanbase both stunned and demanding immediate answers.
