AC Milan have taken the unprecedented step of pleading for supporters to turn up to watch them in their city derby with Inter.
Although the Milan derby is traditionally seen as one of the glamour fixtures of European club football, Milan's supporters are severely disillusioned with the club's direction.
They are 11th in Serie A on seven points, already nine adrift of leaders Juventus and five behind rivals Inter, heaping pressure on manager Massimiliano Allegri and criticism on owner Silvio Berlusconi.
The San Siro derby on Sunday is usually an 80,000 sell-out, but Milan have sold only 55,000 tickets for the game, of which just under 24,000 are season ticket holders.
The crisis has prompted the club into a desperate act, releasing an embarrassing video on their website in which captain Massimo Ambrosini and striker Stephan El Shaarawy pleaded with fans to show up for the match. Ambrosini said, "A derby without you makes no sense".
Average attendances have been falling in Serie A over the past few years in response to the harsh economic climate and fans' being disillusioned by allegations of match-fixing and corruption.
But Milan's woes run even deeper than that, with many supporters still incensed over the sale of star players Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva to Paris St-Germain in the summer.
Only 28,000 people showed up last week to see their team claim their first home victory of the season, a 2-0 win over Calgliari.
All of Italy's top clubs, including champions Juventus, have been struggling to keep pace with Europe's richest clubs.
place ur comment
punch newspaper
it would've been better if they didn't attend
Its good to show your team support.
Yes you are right kingfemzee.It tends to boost the players morale