In one of Erick Thohir’s first press conferences after officially purchasing Inter, the businessman said that he would like to see the Nerazzurri contesting the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League final at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. A statement which is looking more and more absurd as the days pass by.
The Inter owner has shown a lack of experience and sometimes a lack of understanding when dealing with any issues related to the club, and his inability to deal with many issues not only epitomises the claim, but raises further questions about the direction in which the club is heading.
Firstly, the whole handling of the Mazzarri issue is a relative disaster; the former Napoli coach is looking stressed, and has had brief altercations with the press this season. For example, after the 3-0 loss against Fiorentina, the Inter coach claimed that he prefers not to speak to the press because all his words are misinterpreted, regardless of their validity.
Thohir came out and reiterated his desire to keep Mazzarri; however, only one week later, there were reports heavily linking the club with former Manchester United and Everton coach David Moyes.
The issue is that just as the Moyes issue was ‘just’ speculation, the Inter president never came out and rubbished the claim. La Gazzetta dello Sport did report that he wants to stick with Mazzarri, but the Indonesian never came out and said so, thus adding more uncertainty to the dressing room.
Assuming that the David Moyes rumour is in fact correct, it shows another sign of thorough obliviousness. First of all, the Scot does not have any previous Serie A experience, in addition to the fact that his stint at Manchester United was characterised by mediocrity.
Thohir’s comments as a whole are also sometimes a cause for concern. One example would be his comment that “Inter are back!” after the 2-2 draw against Napoli. Surely, one match should not be the basis of such a comment, especially when the team had just endured excruciating defeats to both Cagliari and Fiorentina. In fact, the following game against Saint-Etienne in the UEFA Europa League ended in an unimpressive 0–0 at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Despite being brought in to get the club back on track, the businessman has also shown disastrous financial management as the Nerazzurri recorded losses of €103 million in the year of 2013/2014. In addition to the astronomic loss, the Indonesian acquired a loan in order to overcome the club’s previous €180 million deficit, thus increasing the club’s debts; in fact, Thohir is now looking for ways to overcome the loss in order to meet Financial Fair play regulations, and thus avoid getting sanctioned by UEFA.
Lastly and more importantly, Massimo Moratti’s decision to step down as Honorary President is definitely one of the major question marks; the Moratti family name has long been associated with Inter, and the reasons why Moratti decided to step down is due to major disagreements over the running of the club. For the longtime president to step down in such a crucial time perfectly paints the club’s situation.
In short, Thohir has shown inexperience in his time at Inter. The other main problem is that all the people who have been at Inter for a long time have reportedly been forced to leave or took the decision to leave in protest of the Thohir’s handling of the club. If things continue in the same way, it can be concluded that Inter are heading into an endless abyss.
You can follow Ahmed Assem on Twitter at: @CalcioTow
