AC Milan Sacks Allegri and Three Club Directors After Losing Champions League Spot
The Italian giants officially announced the dismissal of the head coach and part of the management. The end-of-season collapse, which resulted in missing the top four in Serie A, triggered the reshuffle.
AC Milan conducts a massive purge: Allegri and entire management sacked after losing Champions League spot
Date: May 26, 2026
Tournament: Serie A (Italy), 2025/2026 season results
Key figures: Massimiliano Allegri (head coach), Giorgio Furlani (CEO), Igli Tare (sporting director), Geoffrey Moncada (technical director)
Main event
Italian football giants AC Milan announced a major management overhaul on May 25, 2026. Following a disastrous end to the season that left the Rossoneri without Champions League football, the club sacked not only head coach Massimiliano Allegri but also the entire top management.
Alongside Allegri, CEO Giorgio Furlani, sporting director Igli Tare, and technical director Geoffrey Moncada left their posts. The club's owner, US investment firm RedBird Capital Partners, described the concluded season as an "unambiguous failure" in an official statement.
The formal trigger for such drastic measures was a defeat in the final matchday of the Italian championship. On Sunday, May 24, at San Siro, AC Milan hosted Cagliari — a team that had already secured its Serie A status for the next season and had little to play for. The Rossoneri lost 1-2 and dropped from third to fifth place in the final standings.
Details and statistics
AC Milan's collapse is all the more surprising given that just a few matchdays before the finish, the team was comfortably in the Champions League zone. Entering the 38th matchday in third place, the Rossoneri only needed to avoid defeat against Cagliari to secure their spot in Europe's top competition. However, a shocking home loss allowed Roma and Como to leapfrog Milan and claim the coveted fourth and third places, respectively.
The team's implosion began long before the final matchday. AC Milan lost their first game of the season but then embarked on an impressive unbeaten run that lasted until February 22 — a 0-1 defeat to Parma in the 26th matchday. After that point, Allegri's side won just five of their final 13 matches, suffering seven defeats and one draw. Their 70 points were the highest tally for AC Milan in history when finishing outside the top four, but it was not enough to save the coach and management.
The key turning point is widely considered to be the derby against Inter on March 8. After beating the eventual champions 1-0, AC Milan seemed to have regained confidence, but from that moment the team sharply declined: in the remaining matches, they managed only three wins, one draw, and six defeats.
The coach's emotional state after the final game reflected the depth of the disaster. "Unfortunately, the result cannot be changed. We lost five home games and fully deserved the position we ended up in. Right now I am disappointed and angry," Allegri said, adding that after scoring, the team "relaxed and defended very poorly as a unit."
Context and significance
AC Milan's current failure takes on particular significance against the backdrop of a broader crisis among Italian giants. For the first time since the Champions League rebranding in 1992, neither AC Milan nor Juventus will play in Europe's top competition — the Turin side finished sixth. Instead, Italy will be represented by Cesc Fabregas's Como (tournament debutants), Roma, and Napoli.
For Allegri, this was his second stint at AC Milan. He first coached the team from 2010 to 2014, leading them to the 2010/2011 Scudetto and the Italian Super Cup. In the summer of 2025, he was brought back to rectify the situation after a disastrous previous season when the Rossoneri finished eighth. He was given a clear mandate: return to the Champions League and lay the foundation for a Scudetto challenge.
As it emerged after his dismissal, Allegri's contract, valid until 2027, contained a special "European" clause: a top-four finish would automatically extend the deal and increase his salary. But that did not happen, and the parties parted ways after less than a year together.
AC Milan has become a true "coach killer" club. Since Stefano Pioli's departure in the summer of 2024, the club has gone through three managers: Paulo Fonseca (182 days), Sérgio Conceição (182 days), and now Massimiliano Allegri (less than a year). The San Siro bench has arguably become the most dangerous place for a football manager in Europe.
What's next / Next match preview
AC Milan has no upcoming matches in the near future — the season is over. The club will focus on finding a new head coach and management team to prepare for the start of the next Serie A campaign (usually beginning in August) and the Europa League, which the team qualified for by finishing fifth.
According to Italian insiders, AC Milan has already held talks with several candidates. Among the contenders for the head coach role is Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola. As for the sporting director position, the priority candidate is Toulouse's Damiano Bezzani.
A new era begins for the Rossoneri. The success of their next leadership choices will determine whether the club can reclaim its place among Italy's and Europe's football elite as early as next season.
— Editorial Team
