MILAN – Nerazzurri president Erick Thohir has spoken exclusively to Italian television channel Mediaset Premium.
"I have said many times that I have no intentions of buying a club in England. I want to concentrate on Italy, Serie A and Inter – that's it. I don't understand why people are saying that I want to leave because we have worked very hard in recent years.
"I want to thank the fans who have supported us from day one. Mr Moratti believes in what we're doing at Inter. We've put a new management structure in place this year and renovated some areas of the training ground. Some people draw comparisons with DC United, but they have a different management team that works in their own way. I don't have anything else to say if people continue to claim that I want to sell the club and buy another one."
On rumours that he's going to give up his majority stake in the club: "That's a fantasy. The media likes drama, but actually we're here and we want to continue to construct something. There are no plans to purchase another club. Since our first day here, we've wanted to build a new stadium. Looking at the attendances this season, you can see they've been really high because the fans believe in this project. Credit goes to the work of the management and staff who work with the team. Roberto Mancini said something very true yesterday: the president, coach and executives may change, but Inter and its fans will remain. However, this absolutely does not mean that Thohir or Mancini are leaving."
A delegation from the Suning Group visited Appiano Gentile and watched the match against Udinese yesterday: "Mr Moratti said they are a serious prospect, although this does not mean we're near to closing the deal. We're looking for strategic partners, it's a process. We want to be sure that it's a positive step for Inter, like what happened with Moratti and myself when I arrived. It's a bit like the transfer market when you read that a player has already joined. No, let's speak about it when it's completed and we've got the signatures."
Thohir also touched on the plans to sell 20% of his shares: "We're not talking about a sale but an increase in capital."
Finally, the Nerazzurri president spoke about the team's current situation a few games from the end of the season: "We wanted to get in the Champions League and that's not over yet, there are still some matches to play. Let's see where we are at the end of the season. In the same way, we have a five-year plan which is still on track. Competing in the Europa League would be significant and wouldn't mean that Inter will collapse or have to sell its best players or fail to meet Financial Fair Play parameters.
"As management and owners, we're not stupid. We have a plan and we'll see where we are in May but there are options for every scenario. We'll definitely satisfy Financial Fair Play. We would have been happy to get into the Champions League, otherwise we have a plan in place for the Europa League. Mancini was very noble when he said that failing to get third place is down to him, but we're all working together as a team."
