As a fan of AC Milan or Inter you would be forgiven for feeling a tad confused regarding the news that has emerged today on the new stadium project, and there are in fact various hypotheses on the table.
Calciomercato.com summarise today’s development by remarking that Milan and Inter – as Mayor Beppe Sala confirmed – have now said no to WeBuild’s plan to renovate San Siro which was presented recently.
It is a cost-based decision, because the clubs believe that the €400m projection is well below the actual amount required to modernise a stadium built almost 100 years ago that already has its issues.
Sala confirmed that Milan and Inter are now keen on re-exploring the idea of building a new stadium in the San Siro area near the current one, something that was first put officially put forward five years ago and which contemplated the demolition of San Siro to build a brand new stadium in its place.
Sala confirmed that Milan and Inter are now keen on re-exploring the idea of building a new stadium in the San Siro area near the current one, something that was first put officially put forward five years ago and which contemplated the demolition of San Siro to build a brand new stadium in its place.
As you may remember, Populous and Manica-Sportium put forward their designs and the ‘Cathedral’ from the former had won, but the plan had run aground due to the negative feedback on the volumes of the plans for the areas for commercial use and the very strong political opposition exerted by the anti-stadium committees.
However, Mayor Sala made it clear that if they were to revisit the ‘new San Siro’ plan, the clubs would not be starting from scratch but rather continuing the path that they begun years ago, even if it would still be a lengthy process.
Nonetheless, the RedBird Capital and AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale have been pushing for an individual solution for some time, with a Program Agreement underway to build a 70,000-seat home in the San Francesco area of San Donato Milanese.
The fencing off of the area is expected to be done by the end of the month. In the meantime the debate is raging in San Donato on the preliminary steps that will lead to the Environmental and Strategic Assessment and the public debate both with the bodies involved – the Lombardy Region, Metropolitan City of Milan and Ferrovie dello Stato – and with the citizens.
What about Inter? No member of the Oaktree fund – which in May acquired the majority stake in the club from Steven Zhang – has expressed any opinion on the subject of the stadium, be it joint or solo.
However, the recent statements of corporate CEO Alessandro Antonello on the possibility of building a new stadium in the former Cabassi area of Rozzano remain on record, by virtue of the exclusivity period on the land that has been extended until 31 January 2025.
