Fulham have appointed the former AC Milan and Italy defender Franco Baresi as their new director of football in a surprise move that could see him replace Jean Tigana at the end of the forthcoming season.
French legend Tigana, who guided the Whites to mid-table safety and the FA Cup semi-finals in their first season back in the top flight for 38 years, is out of contract next summer and Baresi, who has left his position as Milan’s vice-president, has fuelled talk of a forthcoming promotion by telling the AC Milan website: “I won’t be coach for at least the first year. The current coach, Tigana, will remain in his post and my eventual takeover will be up to Mohamed Al Fayed.”
Al-Fayed told Fulham’s official website:
“This is the next step in realising my dream of making Fulham one of the foremost clubs in the world. Two years ago I was fortunate enough to attract an international manager with the proven qualities of Jean Tigana and now we have doubly strengthened our team with a man who is not only admired as a worldclass footballer but also widely recognised for his knowledge of the game at the highest level.”
Baresi, who captained Italy for four years, made his international debut just months after Italy won the 1982 World Cup – having been a member of the squad in Spain – and made 760 appearances for AC Milan, winning three European Cups and six Serie A titles, as well as being capped 88 times for his country. He missed a penalty in the 1994 World Cup final shoot-out as the Azurri lost to Brazil in the United States.
Baresi’s current position at the San Siro is more ceremonial that his planned role at Fulham, although he does carry out scouting, public relations and marketing duties for his boyhood club. It is understood that he would head up player recruitment and the running of Fulham’s academy, although club sources stressed that Baresi’s arrival would have no impact on Tigana’s future. The pair are said to have already met, alongside Tigana’s trusted lieutenant Christian Damiano to discuss plans for the forthcoming campaign.
