Sport
Clarence Seedorf named Head Coach of serie A club AC Milan
”I don’t want to talk about the league table because in certain situations it can be a terrible thing to look at. On a more positive point, no one is pointing the finger at anyone and we have very united group. We’ll need time and the backing of our fans who will be, as always, the 12th man that I know so well from the delicate moments that I’ve been through in my career in which they’ve always been a positive presence. They’ll help give the energy that the team needs and the team will give that energy back.”
Seedorf has been playing for Brazilian club Botafogo since leaving AC Milan in 2012 but the midfielder announced his retirement on Tuesday in order to take up the role as coach. It is his first managerial position at the age of 37.
”I feel very good and that’s thanks to the AC Milan environment,” Seedorf said. ”I was here for 10 years and coming back after being away, being welcomed here as I have been gives me a lot of energy and a will to get started. It’s emotional to be here obviously. Everything I do, I do with a lot of intensity and I can’t not be emotional about this great opportunity that I’ve been given.
”I have everything to prove, a new career begins for me now. I feel ready but it’ll be the work I do and the results that’ll show if I can face this new challenge. I feel ready, it’s a challenge and I like challenges.”
Not only does Seedorf become the first Dutch coach in Serie A, but he is the first third black head coach of AC Milan – the third in the Seria A after Jarbas Faustinho, who was in charge of Napoli in 1994, and Fabio Liverani, who managed Genoa for seven games this season.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press
