MN: Milan CEO Furlani flies out for strategic meetings in Dubai – the details | OneFootball

AC Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani will not remain in Italy during the March international break but instead will embark on a commercial mission.

According to MilanNews, Furlani will take advantage of the break to fly to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, for two days of meeting with the club’s commercial partners. It is a crucial region for Milan to continue their growth, as the CEO himself has admitted.

In November 2023, Furlani was present for the opening of the club’s headquarters in Dubai, and he spoke to The National about the opportunities in the area that the Rossoneri are looking to capitalise on.

“Opening this headquarters is a very important step for us in our journey towards the future. If you go back 10 years, we had a period of some difficulty as a club, as a company and on the pitch we went through a process of turnaround, rationalisation and change of strategy that started about five years ago,” he said.

“We have had a relationship with the region and with Dubai for a long time. There is huge potential because it is a region that is hungry for football. You see it everywhere, really. There is this love for football and this unwavering passion that is so evident. Sometimes it feels like you are in Italy.”

Milan have several long-standing relationships in the Middle East, including the commercial one with Emirates (Principal Partner and shirt sponsor since 2007). The club’s office in Dubai has made the Rossoneri the first Italian football club to open an office in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa).

The office is a further way to strengthen the relationship with the local fan base – which sees Milan the most followed Italian club in the area – build bridges with the local community, and cultivate new relationships in this strategic market.