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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021 Inter fans party in Milan after 19th Serie A title triumph
MILAN: Thousands thronged onto the Group, sold Inter to a consortium led by Milan streets on Sunday as Inter claimed Indonesian business tycoon Erik Thohir a first Serie A title in 11 years to end rivals in 2013, with Chinese electronics retailer Juventus’ nine-year reign. Antonio Suning Holdings Group taking a majori- Conte’s side clinched their 19th Scudetto ty stake in 2016. It is the first time that a after Atalanta drew 1-1 at Sassuolo to foreign-owned Italian team have won leave the ‘Nerazzurri’ 13 points clear with the league title. four games remaining. “It’s emotional, and a special time for Conte had started Juve’s record run, everyone involved in this project and who winning the first three titles in a streak has been with us on this journey,” said that stretched from 2012 to 2020. The 51- Inter president Steven Zhang. “To our year-old took over Inter in 2019 and lift- fans throughout the world, in Milan and ed the trophy against their bitter rivals in Italy, this Scudetto is for you. The after finishing second last season. future of Inter, of the project and of the “This triumph is one of the biggest Inter world is the same as it has been for achievements in my career,” said Conte, 100 years and it will always be this way.” who also won the Premier League with Inter targeted Conte to pull off what Chelsea in 2017. “It wasn’t an easy he had done at Juve, who had finished choice for me to go to Inter, at a time seventh in the two previous seasons when the team wasn’t used to winning. before his arrival in 2011. Former Juve They were also the direct rival of director Giuseppe Marotta, who had Juventus, my former club.” worked alongside Conte in Turin, joined Inter are now the second most suc- Inter as CEO for sport in 2018. In addi- cessful team in Italy, one league success tion to Conte’s reported annual salary of ahead of bitter city rivals AC Milan’s 18, 12 million euros ($14.4 million) Inter MILAN: FC Internazionale supporters celebrate at Piazza Duomo in Milan on Sunday, after the team won the Italian Serie A but still some way short of Juve’s 36. The splashed nearly 220 million euros on Championship title. — AFP Lombardy side had not won the title transfers in 2019 after his arrival. since Jose Mourinho’s historic Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Champions League flop moment was in the week after we got Argentina attacker Lautaro Martinez League football next season. “We’ll be Italia treble in 2010. Conte has turned the outfit into a knocked out of the Champions League,” Inter cemented their title credentials with back,” warned Juve president Andrea Their last trophy was the Coppa Italia competitive unit again after two fourth- explained Conte. “We were criticized a run of 11 consecutive wins before being Agnelli on Twitter. in 2011 and they missed out on the place finishes under Spalletti. Despite a from all sides, in an exaggerated manner. held by Napoli on April 18. The Champions League will be Inter’s Champions League for six seasons mixed start to this campaign behind This was a group of lads that weren’t The triumph ends Juve’s golden era new challenge, having failed to reach the before Luciano Spalletti took them back closed doors amid the coronavirus pan- used to competing on all fronts. We did with the unsuccessful gamble on coach- last 16 since the 2011/12 season. However, to Europe’s top club competition in 2018. demic, Conte found the winning formula really well to band together and to take ing novice Andrea Pirlo, who played the future ownership of the club remains Conte is the 13th coach since Mourinho and Saturday’s 2-0 win at Crotone these excessive criticisms on the chin.” under Conte and took over from in doubt with Inter making losses of 100 to sit on the Nerazzurri bench and the stretched their unbeaten run to 18 games. A 2-0 win over Juventus in January Maurizio Sarri last summer. The demise million euros last season mainly due to the club has changed hands twice over the Crashing out of the Champions fuelled their ambitions, followed by a 3-0 of a reign which followed the ‘Calciopoli’ coronavirus pandemic. The Suning Group past decade. League in the group stage in December success over AC Milan in February to pull match-fixing scandal and relegation to shut down their Chinese club Jiangsu FC Billionaire Massimo Moratti, whose for the third consecutive season proved a ahead in the table. Spearheaded by Serie B in 2006, sees Juventus now fight- in February just months after it won the family controls Italian oil refiner Saras spur to focus on the league. “The key Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku and ing for a top-four finish and Champions Chinese Super League title. — AFP