Massimo Moratti quit as Inter
Milan honorary chairman Thursday after coach Walter Mazzarri
said he was not "even worth listening to" when he criticised the
recent performances of the team he once owned.
Moratti's son Angelomario Moratti also stepped down from
the board of directors of the 18-time Serie A and three-time
European champions.
Moratti was named honorary chairman last November by
Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir after he led a consortium
that took over 70% of the franchise that had been associated
with the Milanese oil dynasty for decades.
Many Inter fans were unhappy about the end to the double
'Moratti eras' of oilmen Angelo, who bankrolled the 'Great
Inter' of the 1950s and '60s, and his son Massimo, who took over
the Milanese club in 1995 and spent lavishly and vainly for
years before finally equalling his father's success.
The 'Great Inter' side won two European Cups in the 1960s,
and four scudetti between 1963 and 1971.
The crowning achievement of Massimo's stint was the 2010
treble by Jose' Mourinho's side, which gave Moratti Jr a tally
of five league titles, including one claimed because of
Juventus's demotion after a match-fixing scandal.
Moratti had reduced his spending on Inter in recent season
and the arrival of the new investors was seen as a possible
reversal of the trend.
But Inter have failed to revive the glory years so far,
finishing fifth in Serie A last year and currently lying ninth.
Recent reports have said Moratti and Thohir were divided on
the future of club coach Walter Mazzarri.
Moratti's Saras oil company still has a 29.5% stake in
Inter.
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