Silvio Berlusconi promises 'bus full of prostitutes' if they win against AC Milan or Juventus
Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has surprised football fans, with his promise of a bus full of sex workers to his AC Monza team.
Berlusconi was in office four times, from 1994 to 2011 but it wasn't just the country of Italy that he was famous for being in charge of.
Football fans are likely to remember the 86-year-old as AC Milan owner, where he had huge success with the team from 1986 to 2017.
Berlusconi oversaw eight Serie A titles and five Champions Leagues during his time in charge at the San Siro, but has since moved on.
Advert
He's now in charge on AC Monza, with the team earning promotion from Serie B to the top tier last year for the first time, after being created in 1913.
Now the owner has revealed that he offered his players a ridiculous reward, if they beat one of the country's big sides, such as AC Milan and Juventus, as you can see in the video below.
"We found a new coach, who was at our youth team, he is good, smart, kind, and able to stimulate our lads."
"I told the guys...now you will play Milan, Juventus. If you win against one of these top teams, I'll bring a bus of w****s into the locker room," Berlusconi, 86, said in a video recorded at a Tuesday Christmas dinner with the Monza players.
The comments from the owner drew laughter from those in the audience, having praise former under 19s manager Raffaele Palladino, who is now the first team boss.
However, it didn't go down well outside of the event, with female senator Daniela Sbrollini, from the Italia Viva party said it was the "usual misogynist language from Berlusconi, a joke in bad taste that leaves you speechless."
Monza did not start their first top tier campaign well at all, losing their opening five games, including matches against Napoli, Atalanta and Roma.
However, they have won five of their next 10 and jumped up the Serie A table to 14th, currently nine points above the relegation zone.
As with other sides, they won't return to action, following the World Cup, until after New Year, when they face Fiorentina in the next round of league games.
Of course, as is usual with their owner, his comments about the players' reward isn't the first time that he's made controversial statements.
Back in the summer, Berlusconi claimed that players had to reach some very specific standards when it came to their appearance.
The former prime minister said the players must not have tattoos, earrings or beards and their hair is required to be "neatly styled" - to the point where there's even a barber available who can make that happen.
Whilst Monza players could be getting very excited about the possibility of beating Juventus in the future, the Old Lady stars don't even know about their futures.
The clubs board recently all left, with the club under investigation for 'financial regularities,' around the delayed Covid-19 2019/20 season.
One Italian lawyer recently claimed that the problem could be even heavier than the Calciopoli scandal in 2006, which saw them get relegated.
Ryan Sidle