AC Milan experienced one of the most disappointing seasons in their history, failing to qualify for European competitions next season. After a 3-1 defeat away to AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, the team coached by Sergio Conceicao officially missed out on a top-six finish, which is required for a spot in the upcoming UEFA tournaments. Adding to their woes, the Rossoneri also lost the Coppa Italia final against Bologna on May 14, thereby forfeiting a place in the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League.
This season has proven particularly disappointing for the club owned by the RedBird group, led by American businessman Gerry Cardinale. Key decisions made in the summer of 2024 by club CEO Giorgio Furlani and RedBird advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic, such as appointing former Lille coach Paulo Fonseca over candidates like Antonio Conte (now potentially guiding Napoli to a Serie A title), have been scrutinized. Following a poor start, AC Milan dismissed Fonseca on December 29 and appointed former FC Porto manager Sergio Conceicao. Just a week after his official unveiling, Conceicao guided the team to a Supercoppa Italiana victory after a thrilling second-half comeback against city rivals Inter, but this remained the sole highlight of his tenure.
In addition to struggling for consistent positive results in the league, AC Milan were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League playoffs by Feyenoord before the knockout stage. Conceicao`s side had their final moment of joy in the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg, securing a 3-0 win against Inter, only to lose the final 1-0 to Bologna in Rome the following week.
While the club is still in search of a sporting director to oversee affairs starting from summer 2025, Conceicao is also expected to depart soon. This further underscores the immense disappointment of the 2024-25 season, during which AC Milan went through two different managers in under 11 months.
Dominic Ashworth