Thohir: "I won't sell my 30%, I will remain as President"
Having successfully concluded the sale with the Suning Group earlier today he explained that; "We have a five-year plan and this is the second year we have grown both on the sporting front and corporate, but in the era of the superclub it is not easy, we must be very competitive. I hope that what I have done in these two years is respected, probably I have not made everyone happy but I think I have done my best. I repeat what I said back in 2013, Inter is one of the ten best brands in the world but, in terms of revenue, we are in seventeenth place. In the era of superclub, the majority of these revenues exceed 300 million Euro and continue to increase. With the new agreement for the TV rights of the Premier League I believe that among the 30 top clubs according to profit, 20 of them will be English. These are my calculations, but maybe I am wrong”.
THE BEST CHOICE
"I am the President and I have to make decisions to ensure that Inter is stable. Inter must play in the Europa League and then qualify for the Champions League. Perhaps this is not the best decision for all, but I think that this is the best decision for me as President of Inter and for the needs of the team".
A COMMON LANGUAGE
"The Suning Group of Mr. Zhang, the President, believes in this project, he wants to build Inter together with us, make it grow. He wants me to remain as the president, while he wants to keep the leadership, but he believes in the project. All this comes after a long search for partners in China because we believe in this partnership. Mr Moratti is an entrepreneur, I am an entrepreneur and we meet Mr Zhang who is also an entrepreneur and this is a good thing, because we can speak the same language, at the same level and we have the same feelings. I am very happy; I want this club to grow and to compete at a global level."
"The Suning Group of Mr. Zhang, the President, believes in this project, he wants to build Inter together with us, make it grow. He wants me to remain as the president, while he wants to keep the leadership, but he believes in the project. All this comes after a long search for partners in China because we believe in this partnership. Mr Moratti is an entrepreneur, I am an entrepreneur and we meet Mr Zhang who is also an entrepreneur and this is a good thing, because we can speak the same language, at the same level and we have the same feelings. I am very happy; I want this club to grow and to compete at a global level."
STILL THE SAME
"Management and the project will not change; there is a five-year plan. However, what will change will be an increase of fans in China, the presence of Inter in China and in Asia will grow ever stronger. As I said before, the core of our fans will remain in Italy; they are the ones who come to the stadium that support Inter with their patience. We had an average attendance of 45,000 people in the stadium when I arrived, that is incredible, but now that number has risen and we are the best supported in Italy and we must thank them. In the same way, given that we are in the era of digital, people relate to Inter in a global way, we have more than 100 million supporters in China; we need to make a commitment to them. This is why we have decided to go to Asia from next year and for the following five. We have about 190 million supporters in Asia and if we look at the data on supporters in Indonesia, the number is growing".
"Management and the project will not change; there is a five-year plan. However, what will change will be an increase of fans in China, the presence of Inter in China and in Asia will grow ever stronger. As I said before, the core of our fans will remain in Italy; they are the ones who come to the stadium that support Inter with their patience. We had an average attendance of 45,000 people in the stadium when I arrived, that is incredible, but now that number has risen and we are the best supported in Italy and we must thank them. In the same way, given that we are in the era of digital, people relate to Inter in a global way, we have more than 100 million supporters in China; we need to make a commitment to them. This is why we have decided to go to Asia from next year and for the following five. We have about 190 million supporters in Asia and if we look at the data on supporters in Indonesia, the number is growing".
WORK FOR THE CHAMPIONS
"It is nice to build all this together with the fans, but our core fanbase remains in Italy, I want to make that quite clear. The changes will be mostly on the corporate side, thanks to the commitment of Suning that wants to invest and grow the club. This year we have to play the Europa League and if we manage to go forward as much as possible I think it will be positive and next year we will be in the Champions League. To get there we have to work together. Myself and President Zhang believe that the most important thing is to have a continuous presence in the Champions League and we must find investment. Fair Play Financial is another thing we must respect and we have to find a way to build something that allows Inter to have a continuous presence in the Champions League and also to increase our revenue. Inter is a global brand with an incredible story and we need to return to those levels".
I KEEP MY SHARE
"It is nice to build all this together with the fans, but our core fanbase remains in Italy, I want to make that quite clear. The changes will be mostly on the corporate side, thanks to the commitment of Suning that wants to invest and grow the club. This year we have to play the Europa League and if we manage to go forward as much as possible I think it will be positive and next year we will be in the Champions League. To get there we have to work together. Myself and President Zhang believe that the most important thing is to have a continuous presence in the Champions League and we must find investment. Fair Play Financial is another thing we must respect and we have to find a way to build something that allows Inter to have a continuous presence in the Champions League and also to increase our revenue. Inter is a global brand with an incredible story and we need to return to those levels".
I KEEP MY SHARE
"It is not true that sell also the remaining 30%, however, once again, people can say what they want. I will stay, I believe in the project, we are working together and we have just signed an important partnership. We want to build something together. I must thank Mr Moratti because he believed in the project and also in the transition and for having supported the project in these two and a half years. It is not easy, he has always kept an open mind, has always opened his heart because he believed in the transition period under my guidance and for this I thank him. He is part of the history of Inter and I do not want to be compared to him because I have not yet done anything, apart from driving a transition period to ensure that Inter was competitive. I believe that the relationship between me and Mr Moratti will not change. I firmly believe that he will continue to support Inter and, as we have also said with President Zhang, he can still give us advice.This partnership wants to build a good value and, as you know, Inter Campus will continue to work with Moratti and his family. Inter Campus is a very important project for our future and that will grow even at a global level thanks to the direction of Carlotta Moratti. It is a beautiful partnership and this is not the end of history, indeed, the history of Inter continues to grow and it is beautiful to see that this story will go forward."
ONE OF THE FAMILY
Despite this partnership, we still believe in Italian football and it must return to be competitive, this is the moment to do so. Italian football was always big in China until a few years ago. We must now return to those levels and with the support of many investments from China to Italy, I believe that we can succeed. Thanks again for your support; I am still here for you, thanks".
Steve Mitchell @barafundler
ONE OF THE FAMILY
Despite this partnership, we still believe in Italian football and it must return to be competitive, this is the moment to do so. Italian football was always big in China until a few years ago. We must now return to those levels and with the support of many investments from China to Italy, I believe that we can succeed. Thanks again for your support; I am still here for you, thanks".
Steve Mitchell @barafundler
