President of Monza promises his players a "party bus" in the locker room
The president of Monza, Silvio Berlusconi, promised his players to bring a "party bus" to the locker room, according to a video shared by Italian media.
Silvio Berlusconi, president of the club Monza, promised his players to bring "a party bus" to the locker room, according to a video shared by Italian media.
The former Prime Minister of Italy and current president of the Forza Italia party, 86 years old, made these comments, described as "unfortunate" by many media outlets, at the Christmas dinner organized by the club on Tuesday night, according to the Italian agency Ansa.
With a microphone in hand, Berlusconi celebrated having chosen a new coach in September who is "good, nice, polite, and capable of motivating our players."
"I have added an extra motivation because I told the players: now come Juventus, AC Milan, etc., and if you win against one of these great teams, I will bring you a party bus to the locker room," he said, amid laughter from those present.
La Gazzetta dello Sport lamented this "unfortunate" comment. La Repubblica noted that this excerpt was not shared on Berlusconi's Twitter account, where he uploaded videos of that night with the players, club officials, and sponsors.
Contacted by AFP, Monza confirmed that a delegation of players participated in that dinner but made no comment on the controversial statements made by their president.
Berlusconi is still linked in Italy, and also abroad, to the 'Rubygate', a case of libertine parties organized by the former prime minister with young girls, sometimes minors. The businessman was acquitted of the charge of child prostitution but is still accused of witness tampering in this case.
Monza, bought in 2018 by the former president of AC Milan, is playing its first season ever in Serie A. The Lombard team is currently in 14th place after a difficult start and a change of coach in September. AFP