‘A very serious problem’ – Criscitiello explains why Milan must resolve Curva Sud issue

The editor of Sportitalia, Michele Criscitiello, believes that AC Milan leadership must resolve their issues with the Curva Sud soon.

There were more than 71,000 fans at San Siro for the first game of the 2025-26 season between Milan and Bari, a game that saw the Rossoneri win 2-0 to book their place in the last 16 of the Coppa Italia.

However, the atmosphere has been criticised by the media, with one report even likening the stadium to being a ‘silent church’. The reason for this is in large part due to the absence of the Curva Sud.

A ‘very serious’ problem

The Prosecutor’s Office’s orders and certain decisions by the club itself have meant that swathes of fans who occupy the Secondo Anello Blu have been ‘blacklisted’ and therefore cannot attend. Michele Criscitiello spoke live on Sportitalia, with an impassioned plea.

“Milan has a problem. You can buy all the players you want, but if Milan, or even Inter, I don’t know, doesn’t resolve the Curva issue, it’s a very serious problem. Milan is managing the situation very badly, in my opinion, because when you go from too much to nothing, something is wrong.

“First, cages were opened for the management of the Ultras and the Curva: there was no control. Then the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office investigated, and now Milan is waging war on the Curva, those who protested at Casa Milan are no longer allowed in, there are no warnings, but season tickets and tickets are blocked for the Curva’s protagonists and those close to them: this is a problem.

“Milan also have to be a little selfish and intelligent, just like Inter. But I’m not judging Inter’s situation because yesterday I saw Milan-Bari. If you think of playing Milan-Bari in an acoustic desert, in total silence, then Milan-Bari, on August 17th, is fine. But Milan-Inter, Milan-Juve, Milan-Napoli, Milan-Cremonese on Saturday…

“The ultras, or rather the Curva, are crucial to a football team. They’re crucial to a club, because they control the entire stadium’s support. This doesn’t mean you should succumb to blackmail or compromise, absolutely not. You have to set guidelines, but you need the Curva!

Criscitiello su San Siro: “Il Milan deve risolvere, non è più uno stadio‼️”

Continua la protesta della Curva Sud: niente tifo organizzato anche per la sfida di Coppa Italia tra #Milan e Bari🏟️

Il commento di @MCriscitiello nel corso di SiCafè🗣️#Sportitalia pic.twitter.com/4TEf5StKx7

— Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) August 18, 2025

“Either you manage it and don’t suffer from it, but you can’t kick them out. Because on Sunday at San Siro, Milan would have been unthinkable without fans. And now that the season is starting, Milan can make all the signings they want, but if the fans aren’t among those signings, you’ve lost everything.

“And what I was reading today… In the Curva, there were people wearing PSG jerseys, people wearing Barcelona jerseys, people wearing Real Madrid jerseys. It can’t be football for tourists; it has to be football for Milan fans. You can’t go (to the Curva) wearing another team’s shirt.

“This doesn’t mean delinquency, it means order, rigor, and discipline for your team. Otherwise, Milan will become nobody’s son. This is a problem the management must solve, not tomorrow, not Saturday, but yesterday!”