Family Affair

Milan are well renowned as a family club, but Steve Wilson thinks their latest nepotistic signing has taken things too far
How far should you go to keep your employees happy? For Milan the answer appears to be to throw money at the friends and families of their superstars in order to keep them with a smile on their faces. The Rossoneri have recently offered a contract to Chedric Seedorf - the younger brother of midfielder Clarence. But is this really the way to run a successful club? For me this tendency is starting to become something of a joke.

The best punch line has already been written though by the Diavoli, and once again it involved Seedorf. Back in 2004 his close friend Harvey Esajas was offered a contract by the San Siro side while on a visit to the Dutchman, at the time he had been out of the game for three years and was working in a Spanish circus. With the signing of Kaka's brother Digão last term as well it has become something of a bizarre and all too regular trend at the club.

In 2007 the fear was that Real Madrid would tempt away Kaka, so the arrival of his sibling was a way to keep him sweet. This year the arrival of Ronaldinho reportedly put Seedorf in a spin, so again the resolution appears to have been to do the pouting primadonna a nepotistic favour. Shouldn't the honour of playing for Milan be enough for these men without having to get little treats to keep them happy? And how much self-respect can Seedorf Jnr have?

The 25-year-old has been through the youth systems at Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter - notice the common link between that trio - and his previous spell in Italy saw him at Legnano, where the chairman is his big bro's former Milan teammate Marco Simone. You can count the number of games he has played professionally on a polydactyl's hand. There can be absolutely no question at all that he wouldn't be in the Milan squad based on his own merit.

Most likely he will follow in the footsteps of Esajas and Digão and will make a cameo appearance when Milan enter the Coppa Italia in November. But what does that say to the real Primavera players who have worked hard to get within touching distance of the first XI? When pulling out of the Dutch Euro 2008 squad Seedorf spoke of wanting to protect his integrity. Where are those oh-so-important principles now as he makes a mockery again of the institution that pays his wages?