AC Milan Chief on Domestic Abuse
AC Milan CEO Ivan Gazidis believes football needs to fight issues such as domestic abuse. Not just in society, but also within the game itself. “I think football, in many ways, does reflect the issues in society. But it also has the ability to lead thought in a variety of areas and provide better examples.”
Mason Greenwood
Many football fans were shocked to hear Manchester United and England star Mason Greenwood arrested. He is under investigation for sexual and domestic abuse. Manchester United announced his suspension and many sponsors dropped him from their lists. FIFA 22 has also removed him from the lineup. The allegations were made by Harriet Robson who posted photos, videos, and voice recordings of the abuse.
“We can’t ignore the types of issues we see. You know, I’m very vocal about when we have issues we need to own them, we need to acknowledge them because it’s the only way we’re going to be able to find solutions.”
“One of the challenges that football has is that it’s very male-dominated. We still see that in leadership positions across the game. And that’s both in the on-field positions, by which I mean, technical staffs, but also off the field.”
“People like me, chief executives, and senior management figures. So, I think we would be benefited in so many ways in football to have a more diverse environment.”
Football
Last month, Italy’s Supreme Court confirmed the conviction of former Brazil and AC Milan striker Robinho, who now lives in Brazil and played for the club before Gazidis arrived, to nine years in prison for his involvement in a gang rape in 2013, according to Reuters.
Gazidis became CEO of AC Milan, which has won 18 league titles in Italy, in 2018 having previously been CEO of English Premier League side Arsenal for close to 10 years.
“It’s not just this domestic violence and domestic abuse issue, we see a lot of issues across the game that has to be addressed. And you have to be proactive and acknowledge what the issues are before you can really take steps.”