Skriniar’s club posted a loss of 140 million euro

Even record revenues of 431 million euros were not enough to ensure that the famous Italian football giant Inter Milan would finish the last fiscal year in the black.

In recent years, one of Italy’s most successful football clubs — undoubtedly Inter Milan — has been closely followed by many Slovak fans. That’s mainly because the captain of the Slovak national team, Milan Skriniar, has been a key player for the Nerazzurri (the Black and Blues) for more than five years. And while the team has enjoyed sporting success, the same cannot be said for its financial results. The 19-time Italian champion ended the last competitive season with a total loss of 140 million euros. This deficit occurred despite record revenues exceeding 431 million euros.

Unfortunately, this has become a regular trend for Inter. The last time the club ended a season in profit was back in 2013/2014 — well before Skriniar's arrival. On the other hand, this isn’t exactly a surprise. Italy as a whole ranks among the most heavily indebted countries in the eurozone, and public finances on the Apennine Peninsula are far from ideal. The financial state of the country’s top sports clubs only confirms this.

As bizarre as it may sound with a 140-million-euro loss, Inter is actually doing relatively well. Rival club Juventus Turin reported a loss exceeding a quarter of a billion euros. What’s more, compared to the previous year, when Inter posted a loss of 245.6 million euros, the club's management succeeded in significantly reducing the overall deficit.

“Although a loss of over 100 million euros is always alarming, the club has substantially improved this figure year-on-year. Revenue also rose sharply. So Inter is on the right path, and despite the high current loss, it’s moving in the right direction,” said sports analyst Jozef Tokos for the Economic Daily.

At the same time, it’s worth noting that Inter has now ended three consecutive seasons in the red, each time with a loss exceeding 100 million euros. Experts and the club’s leadership, however, point out that these figures were still affected by the lingering effects of restrictive pandemic-related measures. Without those, the final numbers would have been even better.

Inter Milan certainly doesn’t need to worry about its immediate future. Within football’s power structures, the club’s flag still flies high — and things could soon improve financially as well.

“If the club once again manages to increase revenue year-on-year — say, by 15 percent — while also cutting its debt, that would be another positive step toward economic stabilization,” Tokos added.

One of the club’s key assets is its player squad, which currently has a valuation of nearly 593 million euros, with Milan Skriniar alone valued at 65 million euros.

Owning a behemoth like Inter Milan, however, is an extremely expensive affair. According to the newspaper La Repubblica, operating the club has cost its owners a staggering 997 million euros since 2010.