Inter Milan chairman Moratti quits
MILAN, Italy -- The chairman of Inter Milan, Massimo Moratti, has resigned, the Serie A club announced on their Web site on Monday.
Four other directors also announced their decision to resign; Marco Tronchetti Provera, Paolo Giulini, Angelo Mario Moratti and Angelo Moratti -- Moratti's son and grandson.
Moratti recommended that vice-chairman Giancinto Facchetti should be his successor.
After years of underachievement, the Serie A giants are once again enduring a disappointing season, falling 11 points behind leaders Roma following Saturday's home defeat by Empoli -- their third league loss in four games.
"Yesterday's game was certainly not the best from any point of view," Moratti was quoted as saying on the team's Web site.
In October Moratti sacked coach Hector Cuper, who steered the club to the semifinals of the last year's Champions League, and appointed Alberto Zaccheroni, but the change wasn't enough to prevent Inter's elimination from the first round of this season's competition.
Zaccheroni was the ninth coaching appointment since Moratti became chairman of Inter in 1995.
After selling Ronaldo to Real Madrid before last season, the club were criticized for a lack of ambition by star striker Christian Vieri after his strike partner Hernan Crespo was allowed to join Chelsea prior to this campaign.
Inter have won 13 Serie A titles, but the last of those was in 1989. Moratti has spent almost $400 million on players but Inter's sole success during his chairmanship has been the 1998 UEFA Cup.
Moratti, who also stepped down in similar circumstances in 1999 but was soon back in charge, said he planned to keep his majority stake in the club.
"There will not be a change of ownership," he said.
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