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29 June 2026

Daily Newsletter

29 June 2026

AC Milan hire former ATP chief Calvelli as CEO; Bayern and Coca-Cola renew

Massimo Calvelli replaces Giorgio Furlani as chief executive of the Serie A club after he was fired by RedBird last month.

tariqsaleh June 29 2026

AC Milan, the top-flight Italian Serie A soccer club, have appointed former ATP head Massimo Calvelli as chief executive.

In addition to his role as CEO of AC Milan, he will continue as CEO International at RedBird Development Group and Operating Partner at RedBird Capital Partners, the US-based private equity group that owns the club.

Calvelli has held those roles with RedBird since joining the firm from the ATP.

The 51-year-old Calvelli replaces Giorgio Furlani, who was fired by RedBird last month after what it deemed "an unequivocal failure" of a season.

A disappointing end to the 2025-26 campaign saw Milan finish fifth and miss out on a place in Europe’s elite UEFA Champions League club competition next year.

Furlani had been the club’s CEO since 2022, when he took over from Ivan Gazidis.

On Calvelli’s appointment, Gerry Cardinale, RedBird founder and managing partner, said: “Since joining RedBird last year, Massimo has distinguished himself as a leader and driver of organizational design that brings people together and establishes a culture of collaboration and professionalism. 

“Massimo has co-led our investment in AC Milan along with RedBird partner David Castelblanco, both reporting to me. Our model at RedBird often requires our senior leadership to go "in-house" in our most important investments to ensure best-in-class execution, especially in situations requiring change and innovation. 

“Massimo has demonstrated an ability to be effective in all these areas as he integrated himself into AC Milan over the last year. The mandate is clear - we will play to win, instead of playing not to lose - in everything that AC Milan touches, but most importantly on the field.

“The entire organization at AC Milan will now benefit tremendously from his full-time appointment and sense of urgency to bring a winning culture and results back to the Club."

Calvelli left his position as chief executive of the ATP in June 2025 after more than five years in charge.

Before moving to the top men’s tennis tour, he was a senior executive at US sportswear giant Nike and also previously held international leadership roles at Wilson Sporting Goods and Amer Sports.

Calvelli said: “The opportunity to lead AC Milan as it navigates this critical moment in its football trajectory, as well as within the overall state of Italian football, is something I take very seriously and with a profound sense of urgency.

“I've had a full year working collaboratively with the senior leadership of the club across all functions and have a hands-on sense of what needs to be fixed and innovated.”

Meanwhile, German giants Bayern Munich and Coca-Cola, the major soft drinks brand, have extended their partnership until 2034.

The five-year renewal prolongs a relationship that has been in place for over 50 years and is one of the longest partnerships in the Bundesliga club’s history.

As part of the extension, Coca-Cola’s range of soft drinks will continue to be served at Bayern’s Allianz Arena stadium at all home matches. 

In addition, the tie-up includes selected fan engagement activations for both the Bayern men’s and women’s teams.

The partnership will also be expanded, with the brand’s Powerade sports drink being added to the existing product portfolio.

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