AC Milan Director Apologises to Fiorentina for 'Disrespectful' Joke Following Kalinic Transfer

AC Milan sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli has issued an apology to Fiorentina regarding the comments he made at the unveiling of Nikola Kalinic after they signed him from the Italian club.

Kalinic completed a move to Milan earlier this week and Mirabelli joked that if he doesn't score then they will return him to Fiorentina 

Mirabelli said: "Put the ball you know where, or else we'll send you back there."

Image by Andrew Headspeath

The comment was (unsurprisingly) not taken well by Fiorentina and according to ESPN, later released a statement expressing their disappointment at the lack of respect shown by Mirabelli during the unveiling of Kalinic.

The statement read: "ACF Fiorentina are shocked and disappointed with the tone used by AC Milan sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli during the unveiling of Nikola Kalinic on Tuesday.

"Mirabelli's choice of words when referring to the possibility that AC Milan might send the Croatian striker 'back there' were disparaging, out of place and entirely avoidable.

Emilio Andreoli/GettyImages

"We would like to remind Mr Mirabelli that Fiorentina are an important club whose players have made history in the game over the years. 

Moreover, this club represent Florence, one of the most beautiful and well-known cities in the world. The club therefore asks that they be afforded the respect they deserve from today onwards."

Gabriele Maltinti/GettyImages

Mirabelli then released a statement of his own apologising to Fiorentina and tried to explain that the comment was intended to be a joke and that he didn't mean to cause any offence to the club.

Mirabelli's response was: "I've always had great respect and admiration for Fiorentina and their owners, managers and fans."

He continued: "If anybody felt my words were a lack of respect, then I apologise. I believe it was clear, from the tone, from my expression and also from my body language, that what I said was just a joke and certainly not denigrating."