Alessandro Antonello je Chief Operating Officer u Interu.

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Il Chief Operating Officer di Fc Internazionale, Alessandro Antonello, era presente stamattina all’apertura della Scuola di formazione della Fondazione Italia-Cina. Il dirigente nerazzurro, in pole position per la carica di amministratore delegato, ha parlato della presenza di Suning nel mondo Inter. Le sue parole sono state riportate da Mariangela Pira, giornalista di Milano-Finanza: ” Suning investirà molto sui giovani. Ritengo che le potenzialità Italia-Cina siano ancora inespresse. L’Inter è nata con il concetto di Fratelli nel Mondo, e nel 1978 è stato il primo club a volare in Cina per sfidare la nazionale. L’affetto dei tifosi è enorme, ci sono 130 milioni di sostenitori nerazzurri in Cina. L’Inter ha varie iniziative ora in Cina, una delle qualti legata alle stelle neroazzurre come Javier Zanetti. E altri progetti di natura sociale, come le scuole”.

“Suning punta a rafforzare la squadra, anche se lentamente ma bene, investire in modo continuo, far sentire la presenza, puntare su giovani. La Cina vuole ospitare i Mondiali nel 2030 e l Inter darà contributo in termini di formazione e di know how. L’acquisizione dell’Inter da parte di Suning è uno spartiacque. La strategia  è una strategia vincente e win win. Inter si espanderà commercialmente come mai fatto precedentemente e grazie agli investmenti che con serietà Suning farà nei prossimi anni l’Inter tornerà ai vertici del calcio europeo e mondiale.

Discussing Inter vs. Juventus and the Nerazzurri's end to the season, CEO Alessandro Antonello recently had this to say to Inter TV.

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Two days have now passed since the Juventus match. Have you got the anger out of your system yet?
"Definitely not. The boss had asked the team to be really ferocious out there and that’s what we did. Some unacceptable things happened and we’re furious. The club deserves respect and so do our fans."

Is there a risk that this might cause you to lose focus with just three games to go until the end of the season? As Steven Zhang said after the game, it’s vital that the team wins its next few games to try to achieve the objective of securing Champions League football next season.
"There won’t be any loss of focus. The lads showed what they can do on the pitch. They’re all great professionals and we’re expecting a quick reaction. Our objective hasn’t changed and we’ll show that on Sunday against Udinese.

You were at Appiano Gentile yesterday with the whole management team. How important are the next few days in terms of re-energising the players ahead of the vital Udinese game?
"I want to make it clear that both myself and the entire management team have been right behind the team all season. Perhaps some people want to create a different narrative, but I can guarantee that we’re all united and focused on achieving our season objective of a place in next year’s Champions League."

What message do you have for the coach, the team and the fans?
"We’ve lost the battle and I think you can probably say it wasn’t our fault alone. But we want to win the war, for ourselves and for our fans."

How pleasing was it to see Inter outplaying Juventus even when they were a man light?
"We’re proud of the performance the lads put in. They put their heart and soul into the game despite being down to ten men. Our fans were absolutely exceptional too – they cheered us on from start to finish."

Have you seen the video of Massimiliano Allegri and Paolo Tagliavento? It’s creating a lot of anger among fans. Miralem Pjanic also talked of the referee "compensating" with his yellow cards. What do you make of it all?
"Everybody can see what happened. It was seen by 80,000 people at the stadium and by 700 million people across 170 countries around the world. It definitely didn’t showcase the best of Italian football. In fact, I’d say it’s shown our game in a very bad light.

When you go back over the incidents, it’s clear that several penalised Inter. What do you think about that?
"We decided to wait until today to comment because we didn’t want to speak in the heat of the moment and risk being influenced by all the emotions flying about. We’ve watched all of the incidents back and we cannot explain why two sets of weights and measures were used in the same game. Lots of things are changing in football, but it seems like some things always stay the same. Having said that, we’re proud of the history we have at this club."

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Following Friday afternoon’s Shareholders’ Meeting in Milan, both President Steven Zhang and CEO Alessandro Antonello took the time to answer questions from the journalists present.

The first to speak was President Steven Zhang: “I had a great feeling about the Nerazzurri colours straight away. I knew Massimo Moratti and I’d always followed Inter. We decided to acquire the club’s shares because we want the club to build bridges for our fans across the world. Inter is about sharing the passion of millions of people all around the world and it is an important responsibility for us.

“We decided to invest in Inter with the aim of getting the club back among the most important teams in world football. Our commitment must be to build a winning team and we will use all the necessary resources. Away from the transfer market, the fans can be assured that the Suning Group will take every possible chance to add more titles to our honours’ list.

“We have a strong squad. We have players with personality and talent, just like the professionals that work for the club. Therefore, the fans can expect to be back winning again in the near future.

“I am sure that the gap is getting smaller compared to last year and we will keep growing. I think that our players are the best. I believe in them and I think that they have the potential to win every game.

"I am the youngest President in Italy and in Europe but I have already been working for two years with the team and we have already shown great improvement. I know that this is a great responsibility, but I don’t think that age is an issue. I am sure that I can do well, the past two years show this. I also have the right people working alongside me. I am proud, not frightened. Marotta? Over the past few years, Inter have been linked with big names, I am happy because it means that directors and players would like to come here but the truth is that there has been no negotiations between us. At the moment, there is no truth in this but if there are opportunities to improve the club, then we will be alert to the market.

"I asked for advice from different people, including Massimo Moratti. He told to me to have faith in the decisions that I take and that he will always support me. He told me lots of things about Inter and he always supported me, even in the face of adversity.

"The stadium? Speaking from a financial perspective, it is one of the main priorities and the most sensible thing is that Inter and Milan have one stadium, irrespective of whether it’s San Siro, which is a historic stadium and an iconic stage in world football. AC Milan and the city of Milan must align with us in order to complete this task as soon as possible in order to create the best experience for our fans. The priority is to stay at San Siro and modernise it."

Alessandro Antonello discussed the modernisation of infrastructure. "The Suning Training Centre will be enlarged further, probably in the summer in order to provide the best infrastructure for those who work there. For San Siro, we are getting back in contact with AC Milan to evaluate possible solutions for a stadium in Milan. Having an adequate structure is part of the club’s plan for growth, by modernising San Siro or building a new stadium. After the change in ownership at Milan, the conditions might be right and we will look to speed things up because we cannot wait any longer."

Molim mišljenja...

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ANTONELLO: "WE'RE PROUD TO HAVE TAKEN PART IN MILANO DESIGN WEEK"

Inter's Corporate CEO presented the prizes for the winning designs for the 2019-20 team bus

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Following a week with the Nerazzurri at the heart of Milano Design Week, the winning designs which will form the basis of the team bus for the 2019-20 season have been named. Corporate CEO Alessandro Antonello did the honours in presenting the awards to the three teams selected who will receive a bursary to cover 50 per cent of the tuition fees at the RM Istituto Moda e Design. It was the first edition of the Design for Sport competition organised by FC Internazionale Milano in collaboration with the RM Istituto Moda e Design at the Raffles building at 16 via Felice Casati. The building was completely decked out in black and blue and it will now host the exhibition showcasing the works of the students who took part.

Inter’s Corporate CEO Antonello congratulated the students involved, saying: "Inter is proud to have been a part of Milano Design Week for the second consecutive year. The relationship with the city has been consolidated over time but so has the link with design. The badge and Nerazzurri colours are style icons, we identify ourselves with Milanese design tradition. This week of meetings and the development process for the Design for Sport participants have been a great catalyst for creativity, it’s stimulated the talent of the young people in a unique way, in the way that only a great sports club such as ours can do.

"Inter believes in the talent of young people, on and off the pitch. Our youth teams have always shown that they’re among the biggest and best on the domestic and international stage. In the same fashion, we’re sure that providing an opportunity for young designers to show their ability on the prestigious subject of the team coach has been a unique and unmissable opportunity.

"Events such as Design for Sport provide us with the chance to get closer and closer to our fans. Be it those who have physically had the opportunity to experience this wonderful place or those who have shared their passion from after, not just for sport but for design and culture also. Our Club can count on the support of around 400 million, an impressive figure that we’re very proud of. We want do dedicate these moments to these supporters, including through our digital channels which bring us closer to our fans away from Milan, bringing them close to the team, the Club and unique events such as this. Mine and the Club’s thanks go to all who helped to make this event a success. I’m sure that a lot of the talented people who have today designed the livery for the new team coach will be the established and prominent professionals of tomorrow."

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Following the F.C. Internazionale Milano S.p.A. Shareholders’ Meeting, which approved the 2018/2019 financial statements with important results and record figures that testify to the Club’s significant growth, Inter President Steven Zhang, CEO Corporate Alessandro Antonello and il CEO Sport Giuseppe Marotta answered questions from journalists during a press conference.

This is what Alessandro Antonello had to say: “We’re satisfied with the work that has been carried out in the past few years, we’ve more than doubled our revenue since Suning came in. Our increase in turnover is obviously also linked to the exposure of our brand on the Chinese market, but we have also come together to make agreements with 16 new partners, so we also consider regional and local growth important. We’ll continue to work on these two levels simultaneously.”

On the possibility of renewing sponsorship agreements with Nike and Pirelli: “At the moment, we can say that we have finalised an agreement with Nike for the renewal of retail and licensing rights, starting from November. It's a very important phase because it will open up new frontiers and allow us to explore new markets. It’s an important opportunity for growth, something which represents a pillar for all major European Clubs. Our relationship with Pirelli has lasted 20 years and we have a contract until 2021. To date, there are no alternatives on the table, we’ll work together to address whether there are opportunities to be had.”

On the number of Nerazzurri fans throughout the world, a figure which is constantly growing: “Our fans’ support allowed us to break the one-million barrier for the total number of spectators who attended San Siro last season and our average attendance was 61,000, the highest in Italy for the fourth successive year and the fifth highest in Europe ahead of the likes of Real Madrid and Arsenal. Beyond that, the most important data is the constant growth of our numbers. The growth of our digital channels is testament to this. The figures in this respect are also record-breaking: we had 22 million followers in June and now we’re up to 28 million. This amounts to a very high growth rate and is also thanks to the content produced by our very own Inter Media House. This content is of high quality and also targets youngsters and women.”

Finally, Antonello spoke about the New Stadium For Milano project: “We’ve begun a journey with the Institutions of the City of Milan. A feasibility study has been submitted, and this represents an idea for an important area like San Siro. Discussions are taking place with the Institutions, citizens and fans, we’re taking on board all the feedback that is being given to us. We are firmly convinced of the project that we have presented and the Ipsos survey has told us that 64% of citizens see everything in a positive light.”

Soci?