Inter president Giuseppe Marotta has hit out at local rivals AC Milan in response to comments from AC Milan owner Cardinale after he suggested Inter won the Scudetto at the cost of 'bankruptcy' - referring to Suning's failure to repay debts to the American company. "Oaktree" that today owns Inter.

"I didn't want to comment, but now I feel that it is my duty to answer", Marotta said, according to KosovaPress.

"These are inappropriate statements that show a lack of respect for the prestige and image of the club. I think Cardinale got a little confused. It is true that in previous years our majority shareholder had some financial difficulties, but they were now accompanied by Oaktree – who today own the club and set the guidelines going forward. The way Inter has been run is completely different. We adhere to Financial Fair Play guidelines, national licenses that are very strict even for economic criteria, and have gone from losses of 246 million euros to just 46 million euros last year, in a season where we also won the Scudetto and the Super Cup Italian. Seeing how we are at Christmas, let's also emphasize that we are the only club in the city of Milan that has two stars on our jerseys," said Marotta.

A star is always awarded to any club that wins 10 Serie A titles, so while Inter are now on 20, Milan remain on 19.