Antonello: "Inter are a great club and must start winning again"

SINGAPORE – When introducing himself to the press in Singapore during the Inter Summer Tour, new club CEO Alessandro Antonello underlined his links to the club as a fan and presented some of the team’s aims moving forward.

Antonello, who takes the chief executive role on 1 September, said: "The club’s tradition and history are absolutely central. I’m proud that I’ve been given this role. I used to go to the stadium with my brother Fabrizio.

"The first game I saw was Inter v Monchengladbach, which I watched from the second tier. I remember being cold but there was so much passion, and clearly that’s stuck with me.

"When I think of one club great, an idol, I can look no further than [Giacinto] Facchetti and his style.

"Inter now have the means to make the purchases that our coach decides are necessary. The ownership and sporting management will do everything they can to bolster this team.

"What we need to do is add the right components, so the team goes up a level and is able to reach its targets.

"We know what we want to do, to become a strong club, and we have a clear idea about how we’ll go about achieving that.

"The first step of our plan is to get back into the Champions League. That’s the main objective for the team and the club’s brand. We have our model and a great shareholder in the shape of Suning, who will support us along the way.

"We want to start growing again both from a sporting perspective and as a club. Inter have to start winning again and competing, both in the league, Champions League and at the highest level. The whole club will benefit from that, from a financial and economic viewpoint.

"[Luciano] Spalletti is a great leader. We have a coach with real character, helping the team.

"I’ve got huge respect for Steven [Zhang]. At the age of 25, he had something as big and important as Inter to manage. He’s putting a massive amount of work into this and he gets a great deal of help from the club’s senior management. He’s a talented young man and he deserves all our respect.

"Few can boast the support of a group like Suning. All the ingredients are there to achieve great things.

"The stadium is an asset. Having our own stadium will be key, in terms of creating a modern experience for the fans, the services we offer and revenue."