Chinese-owned Inter Milan unveil controversial rebrand
- Future of owners Suning remains in doubt but club go through with redesign of visual identity for next season
- Serie A leaders aim to ‘reach global targets and different age groups’ but social media users not impressed with new look
Inter Milan have been given a new lease of life for next season with a rebranded visual identity though questions remain over the ownership of the Serie A giants.
The Suning-owned Serie A leaders announced earlier this year that they would undergo a rebrand, including a newly designed club crest and it was revealed on Tuesday to mark the Nerazzuri’s 113th birthday.
“Inter has moved to revamp its visual identity to open up to an audience that is increasingly digital and sensitive to aesthetics, to reach global targets and different age groups, and establish itself as an icon of culture as well as sport,” the club wrote in a statement on their website.
The design, built around the I of Internazionale and M of Milan, plays on the English phrase “I am” as hinted at in the club’s social media posts for the new visual identity.
“I M FC Internazionale Milano. What I M comes from what I have always been. I M open to the whole world and rooted in one city,” they wrote on Twitter.
“The I M narrative stems from a journey through the corners of Milan, a city that shares with Inter a strong historical component, is emblematic of tradition and innovation, culture and style, and uses its values and character as the base upon which to build its future,” the club statement said.
Chinese-owned Inter Milan to rebrand to ‘appeal to foreign fans’
There was mixed reaction to the new crest – which will be used on the club’s shirts from next season – on social media, with many fans critical of the revamped look.
Italian champions Juventus experienced a similar backlash when they unveiled their redesigned crest in 2017.
Inter fans have bigger worries than a new club crest with owners Suning under increasing financial pressure back in China.
Reports that the Chinese retail giant will sell the club that they bought in 2016 have grown in recent months.
Suning denied that they are looking to sell the Milanese side, sources told Chinese state media outlet CGTN Europe last month, days after the company had sold 23 per cent of its shares to state-owned investors and shutting down Chinese Super League side Jiangsu FC.
Inter are six points clear of city rivals AC Milan at the top of Serie A with a game in hand. The club have not won the Italian title since 2010.
