L’Equipe investigation claims Elliott influenced Lille while owning Milan

MILAN, ITALY - MAY 20: A detailed view of the AC Milan corner flag on the inside of the stadium prior to the Serie A match between AC MIlan and UC Sampdoria at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 20, 2023 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Milan’s links with Lille during the Elliott Management era are back under scrutiny after a front-page investigation in L’Equipe.

According to the French paper, via MilanNews24, chats and emails seized by Italy’s Guardia di Finanza show the American fund had far more influence over Lille than previously acknowledged, at a time when it also owned the Rossoneri. L’Equipe describes the ties between the two clubs as “ambiguous”.

The messages were reportedly recovered as part of the Italian investigation into Elliott’s 2022 sale of Milan to RedBird.

Ex Milan owner Elliott’s alleged role in Lille transfers

Elliott was Lille’s main creditor when Gerard Lopez was forced to sell the club to Merlyn Partners in December 2020. The official position has always been that Merlyn controlled Lille and Elliott was only a lender.

L’Equipe reports that in January 2022, Gordon Singer, an Elliott executive and Milan board member, gave his view on the futures of Sven Botman and Renato Sanches. Months later, Merlyn’s Maarten Petermann allegedly told Lille’s sporting director that Amadou Onana would be sold, citing Elliott’s financial interests.

This matters because UEFA rules bar any party from controlling, or having decisive influence over, more than one club in the same competition. Milan and Lille both played in the 2020-21 Europa League, where they were drawn in the same group, and both played in the Champions League the following season. L’Equipe suggests one of them could, or should, have been barred.

Elliott quickly rejected the claims: “UEFA has already investigated the matter and concluded that Elliott does not exercise any control or decisive influence over LOSC. Elliott’s only relationship with LOSC has always been that of a financier.”