Moratti dismisses Thohir rumours

Posted Tuesday, June 04, 2013 by Foxsports.com

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti is not willing to surrender control of the club to potential investor Erick Thohir in exchange for a new stadium.

The Indonesian businessman, who is already a majority owner of Major League Soccer club DC United, is reportedly prepared to invest up to 300 million euros in the San Siro outfit.

Moratti inherited both the Serie A club and oil refining company Saras from his father Angelo in 1981 and assumed the Inter presidency in 1995 before spending an estimated 600m euros on player recruitment.

But a disappointing ninth-placed finish in the 2012-13 season has left the Nerazzurri without the usual cash boost of a European campaign and, with plans for a new stadium still high on the agenda, Moratti is keen to attract new investment.

But in response to suggestions he could sacrifice over 50 per cent of his controlling stake to Thohir, he told inter.it: "I think there are too many rumours around.

"I read them and usually 90 per cent of what's reported is untrue. We're discussing something altogether different entirely. It's not decisive.

"What will be (decisive) is whether or not Inter stand to gain substantially from it. But if there are no advantages for Inter, we'll leave it alone.

"No one's talking about (relinquishing control). As I've said, I've read a lot in the papers that I don't believe is really true."

Inter are in the process of examining the feasibility of building a new home, having shared the 87-year-old council-owned Giuseppe Meazza stadium in San Siro with city rivals AC Milan since 1947.

And when asked if Thohir's funds could help bankroll the project, Moratti added: "That is important."