AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani on Monday backed coach Carlo Ancelotti after fresh speculation he might be sacked at the end of the season.
The manager, who is under contract until June 2010, will be confirmed as long as third-placed Milan qualify for the Champions League, its ''minimum goal'' for the year, Galliani said.
Ancelotti came under renewed pressure last week after a 2-1 derby defeat left it trailing Inter by 11 points and club owner Silvio Berlusconi criticised the team's habit of dropping points late on.
Speculation increased when Ancelotti, Serie A's longest-serving manager, was booed by the San Siro faithful during Sunday's lacklustre 1-0 win over Cagliari.
But Galliani squashed the rumours, saying:
''The Ancelotti years have been extraordinary. I hope that we can definitely go ahead with Ancelotti once we have reached our goals. We're against changing coaches. Naturally, we have to reach the minimum goal''.
Ancelotti has been at Milan since 2001. He has won the European Champions League twice, in 2003 and 2007, but only has one scudetto to his credit, in 2004.
The team came fifth last year, outside the Champions League qualification zone.
