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Noel Prentice

WITH one of the highest wage bills in world soccer, AC Milan demands nothing but the best.

  For years it has proved money can buy success and happiness.

  But its aura of invincibility was penetrated in March when losing an unbeaten run of 58 league matches - the longest in Italian history - and then shattered last week when losing the European Champions Cup final 1-0 to Olympique Marseille.

  Not even a US$750,000 bonus on offer to every player for the European Cup-Italian League double could conjure the flair to beat the Frenchmen.

  AC Milan has arguably the most expensive side in the world, with six foreigners in the squad, including European Footballer of the Year, Marco Van Basten, fellow celebrated Dutchmen Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard and Frenchman Jean-Pierre Papin.

  But Gullit (European Player of the Year in 1987) and Rijkaard are set to leave at the end of the season.

  President Mr Silvio Berlusconi has the financial muscle to rebuild quickly as evidenced last summer when the club paid a world record $US21 million for Gianluigi Lentini, from fellow Italian side Torino.

  Feared for its tactical mastery, killer instinct and technical brilliance, Milan is so spoilt for talent many of its famous names are used only part-time.

   But its failure last week to win Europe's most prestigious title for the third time in five years was hard to swallow.

   Mr Berlusconi said: ''We're not used to losing a final.

  ''Personally, I was prepared for a defeat and I accepted it with serenity. We now have to think of another victory. We will be in the final again next season, against Marseille I hope.''   The unexpected defeat wrecked Italy's hopes of winning the treble this season in European competition, with Parma winning the Cup Winners' Cup and Juventus claiming the UEFA Cup.

  While Milan's lead in the league was cut after seemingly losing its way over the past two months, it still won the title. Now Italy's passionate fans will be turning their attention to the national team and its progress towards the World Cup in the United States next June and July.

  The Italians, world champions in 1982 and losing semi-finalists in 1990, when they hosted the competition, have not set the world on fire and still have some work to do to qualify.

  They lost to surprise package Switzerland last month and trail it by two points in the Group One standings.

  But Italy should easily gain the necessary points in its remaining three games, with an away match with whipping boys Estonia and home games against Scotland and Portugal.

  Juventus' 6-1 aggregate thrashing of Borussia Dortmund, of Germany, in the UEFA Cup was a great relief to celebrated coach Giovanni Trappatoni.

 ''It's the best trophy of my career because it comes at the end of a season in which we went very close to missing out on everything,'' he said.

  Inspired by the genius, Roberto Baggio, Juventus has recovered from a poor start in the league to be in the top four.

  ''Roberto Baggio can, with Juventus and Italy, become one of the greatest players in the history of the game,'' Trapattoni said.

   Another giant of Italian football, AS Roma, was saved from bankruptcy last month when two businessmen agreed to take over the debt-ridden club.

  Industrialists Mr Pietro Mezzaroma and Mr Franco Sensi, both associated with Roma in the past, signed a preliminary agreement to assume the majority shareholding from the Italfin 80 company.

  Italfin 80 is the flagship of outgoing president Giuseppe Ciarrapico, in prison in Milan after his arrest on corruption charges.

  Roma has reached the final of the Italian Cup and plays Torino in the two-leg final on June 12 and 19.

  Italy had plenty of cause for celebration at the Olympics in Barcelona last summer, finishing a creditable 11th on the medals table with six golds, five silvers and eight bronze.

  Two golds came in cycling, with Fabio Casartelli winning the individual road race, and Giovanni Lombardi the points race.

  In fencing, Giovanna Trillini won the women's individual foil and collected a second gold in the teams' event.

  Pierpaolo Ferrazzi won the individual kayak in canoeing, while Italy's sixth gold came in water polo.

  In rugby, Italy provided one of the most spectacular and high-scoring matches at the Hongkong Sevens, losing the Plate final to Tonga 38-28.

  In professional cycling, Italy has a world champion in Gianni Bugno, who controversially skipped his home race last season, but is now competing in the three-week Giro d'Italia.



AC Milan win national title with panache