Ex-AC Milan Chief Football Officer (CFO) Zvonimir Boban has lashed out at his former club and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ivan Gazidis following his dismissal on Saturday, likening the chaotic situation at San Siro to the North Korean dictatorship.
Something of a civil war had been brewing in Lombardy, with CEO Gazidis seemingly becoming too heavily involved in the sporting side of the club that should have been under the remit of Boban and fellow club legend Paolo Maldini.
Gazidis recently moved to secure the services of Ralf Rangnick, an experienced manager with a 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 – RB Leipzig's parent organisation.
Reports have suggested that Rangnick will be given full control of the sporting side of the club – something Gazidis pushed so hard to take away from Arsene Wenger during his ill-fated time at Arsenal – essentially acting as coach, technical director and chief scout.
Boban was clearly made furious by Gazidis' actions, with the whole deal to bring Rangnick to Italy seemingly having taken place behind both his and Maldini's back, and recently aired his grievances in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
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“Until a few days ago, I didn't think it were true that there were two souls within Milan,” the 51-year-old said, “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 since been given his books by the power-playing Gazidis and the Croatian has snapped back at his former boss, telling 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.”
The former Rossoneri midfielder plans to due the club for unfair dismissal, with a three-year contract brought to an end just nine months in.
Boban added: “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.”