On October 30, 1985, "Corriere dello Sport-Stadio" reported that Silvio Berlusconi's Fininvest had purchased AC Milan, specifying the price at 24 billion lire, to be paid in four installments. On the same day, Fininvest issued an official statement denying the claim and affirming its "total estrangement from the negotiations for the purchase of the Milanese team."
Of course, the denial was a lie. Berlusconi was indeed trying to get a hold of AC Milan, but – in true P2 style – the operation had to remain secret, as the goal was to acquire the red and black club at a bargain price. First, they needed to remove Milan's president, Giuseppe Farina, known as Giussy, and then eliminate all potential competitors interested in buying the club. Because Fininvest had no intention of participating in an auction; they wanted AC Milan for a pittance, plain and simple.
President Farina wasn't exactly a saint; in fact, he was a notorious figure, but compared to Berlusconi, he was a novice. The head of Fininvest had been handling billions upon billions for years, with unclear origins: part of it was anonymous capital parked in Switzerland, while another part fell from the sky in cash. He was also a highly talked-about figure, to the point that on May 30, 1983, the Guardia di Finanza sent a note to the Milan Public Prosecutor stating: "It has been reported that the well-known Silvio Berlusconi, interested in the private television broadcaster 'Canale 5,' would finance an intense drug trafficking operation from Sicily with branches in France and other Italian regions (particularly Lombardy and Lazio)."
Even without the P2 web, in the Milan operation, Mr. Berlusconi could count on some very heavy political backing: the sitting Prime Minister Bettino Craxi, half of the Christian Democracy party, the craxiano Carlo Tagnoli, mayor of Milan, the president of the CONI Franco Carraro, and the president of the Italian Football Federation Sordillo. Plus the TV and newspapers of Fininvest, and the Milanista fans. Poor Farina, on the other hand, even though he had a few billion, was just a loser without any connection or support, so his small empire, with the gem of AC Milan, had a countdown.
THE SHARK’S THEFT
By a happy coincidence, at the end of October 1985, the Italian Football Federation sent inspectors to audit AC Milan's accounts. Farina then became agitated, but the federal president Sordillo tried to calm him down: "In Milan's accounts, no substantial irregularities have been found, only formal ones."
The red and black club was not doing very well: the coffers were empty, and debts with banks reached about ten billion. However, the overall value of the Milan players was four times that: the team had young stars like Baresi, Costacurta, Maldini, Evani, Tassotti, Stroppa, Hateley; and seasoned champions like Di Bartolomei, Paolo Rossi, and Virdis. Then there were the properties of the sports center in Milanello, plus Farina's personal assets, which were substantial.
Fifteen days later, around mid-December, here comes the twist: with a decision that newspapers described as "strange, sudden, unexpected," Farina resigned as president and left Milan. He declared to the press: "I made this decision because something serious happened that I cannot talk about. I am leaving for the good of Milan... Don’t ask me to be more clear: I can't." Power had ordered him to step aside, and he was compelled to obey.
On December 17, Ansa reported "a rumor suggesting that the share package of AC Milan had already been sold to a group that included the Milanese entrepreneur Silvio Berlusconi." The agency also reported Fininvest's denial, which rejected everything, even interest. The next day, December 18, Ansa published the following statement: "The Fininvest group, chaired by Silvio Berlusconi, declares its willingness to consider the possibility of a capital intervention in AC Milan. This possibility arises today following the publicly expressed intentio
