Van Basten on Italy and Serie A ‘shameful’ issues, backs Ancelotti for World Cup
Marco Van Basten insists that foreign owners, including Milan’s, are ‘not interested’ in the history of Serie A clubs and admits he will support not only the Netherlands at the World Cup but also Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil.
Van Basten hits out at foreign Serie A club owners
Former Milan striker Van Basten spoke about the state of Italian and Serie A football in an interview with SportMediaset.
“Currently, there are many foreign owners in Serie A, who have nothing to do with the clubs’ history, nor are they interested in it,” said the Dutch legend.
“It’s a shame. It would be important to bring Italian football back into Italian hands so it can return to the top of Europe.
“Milan are an example. They are no longer what they used to be. I often follow them, and I hope they’ll recover soon because Inter are dominating and I don’t like it at all.”
Italy have failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time, and inevitably, Van Basten was asked for his thoughts on the situation.
“Stars are currently missing. Italy have always had a great goalkeeper, a great defender, a great midfielder and a great striker,” he said.
“Today it’s not the same. It’s hard to see them, and it’s strange. Italian football used to rule the world, but it doesn’t anymore. I will support the Netherlands at the World Cup, but I don’t expect much. Therefore, I’ll support Ancelotti’s Brazil.”
Ancelotti and Van Basten played together at Milan from 1987 to 1992.