Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 10y

Silvio Berlusconi set for more involvement at AC Milan

AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi appears set to take a more hands-on role at the club.

- Paul: Milan show commitment but not enough quality

Berlusconi paid the Milanello training ground a visit late last week, while he also made a rare appearance at the San Siro for Saturday night's 1-0 defeat to Juventus.

With a reduced involvement in politics it appears the 77-year-old has more time on his hands -- aside from his community service obligations at an old people's home after being convicted of tax fraud -- and is now going to dedicate it to the Rossoneri.

"Well, if they don't do what I tell them..." Berlusconi told La Gazzetta dello Sport the morning after Milan's first defeat of the season.

Berlusconi's visit to Milanello in the build-up to the Juventus game was already his second trip to the club's training facilities this season.

Last year, he was seen there only once, although his visit following Clarence Seedorf's appointment did not bring about a turnaround in Milan's fortunes.

It used to be common for Berlusconi to dine with the club's players and he enjoyed a particularly close relationship for eight years with former coach Carlo Ancelotti.

The pair would often discuss tactics over lunch, with Berlusconi never afraid to tell Ancelotti the kind of football he wanted to see and which players to choose.

Milan won the Champions League and lost another final during Ancelotti's reign, although Berlusconi suggested the reason the Italian eventually left in 2009 was because he had stopped listening to him, with success drying up as a result.

"We made a mess this season because, in the final minutes of some games, we did not adopt the tactics that I had advised," Berlusconi said at the time. "These were then employed in our final game of the season, which we won to qualify for the Champions League."

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