Reports have emerged in Italy suggesting that Inter Milan are in for a radical new rebranding, which could well see the club with a new crest, owner, sponsor, stadium and even name as they adapt for the future and battle for their existence.
Inter Milan will undergo a name change, switching from Football Club Internazionale Milano to simply Inter Milan – a name that they are commonly known by away from Italy anyway. The move, designed to reflect a closer connection with Italy's capital and give the club a clearer and more modern global identity, is planned for March 9 – exactly 113 years after the club came into existence, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Along with the name change, the club will also unveil a new crest. Moving from the current FC Internazionale to a new and more English-speaking Inter Milan will have an obvious impact on the streamlining of the new logo, with no more need of the FC prefix.
While some of the proposed changes would be to give the club a clearer and more modern identity to boost their global appeal, taking a leaf out of Juventus’s book, who changed their crest back in 2017, there are also other factors that are prompting the change at the club, and these centre around Inter’s precarious financial situation.
The name and logo change has been a while in the making and is set to go ahead despite monetary pressures facing the club due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Owner Steven Zhang is looking for investment to put an end to the cash crisis, with British private equity firm BC Partners among those being considered amid unrest as wage payments to players have not been met on several occasions. In a period of great upheaval for Inter, Evergrande are also on pole to replace Pirelli as the team's main sponsor, while the San Siro is set to be demolished and replaced by a brand new stadium on the site in due course.
Despite their financial issues, Inter are enjoying great success on the pitch, with Antonio Conte’s men topping the table alongside city rivals AC after a 2-0 win over Juventus. The Nerazzurri are chasing their first league title in 11 years, and look to be in a good position despite AC currently having a game in hand.
Watch this space for confirmation on this story as and when it happens.
