On Thursday, February 22, the municipality of Milan including Mayor Sala met with representatives from AC Milan and Inter to discuss ongoing stadium issues, including potential renovations to the San Siro Stadium in the hopes of keeping both clubs at the grounds.
In a tweet published by Italian journalist Nicolò Schira late Wednesday night, it was revealed that the Mayor of Milan would be meeting with representatives from AC Milan and Inter, including AC Milan President Paolo Scaroni and Inter Corporate CEO Alessandro Antonello to discuss new stadium plans on Thursday.
Both clubs have been interested in moving out of the historic San Siro stadium, but have not finalized plans to do so yet. For the past months, Inter has been analyzing the feasibility of building a completely new stadium in the area of Rozzano, a commune located just nine kilometres south of Milan. The latest update came in an official statement from the club in December 2023, stating, “FC Internazionale Milano is strongly committed to the project of our new stadium which could be built on the outskirts of Milan, in the municipality of Rozzano.” The statement concluded by explaining that, “The collection of opinions, which begins today with a survey dedicated to traffic issues, will continue in the coming months with further topics relating to the new Inter home”.
Mayor Sala has continued to lobby for both clubs to remain at the San Siro, despite neither club officially owning the stadium. The Municipality of Milano released its own statement following the conclusion of Thursday’s meeting with the two clubs. The statement reads as follows:
“The first step is a feasibility study, which will have to be done over the next three months, to determine if a renovation is possible. The teams will then provide guidelines for a possible renovation that will lead to a more modern and efficient stadium. The Municipality will then verify the renovation and ways to proceed with the project. The Club representatives reiterated the need to protect the possible loss of capacity availability of the stadium during the renovation. Work must therefore be compatible with the calendar of matches, sporting events and entertainment events, in order to avoid economic damage, but above all to maintain an engaging, safe and comfortable experience for spectators. The project will consider urban developments in the San Siro area, in particular for its redevelopment. A binding issue, which is to be defined, is that the stadium will have to become the property of the teams. The Mayor noted that the teams will continue to explore existing alternative possibilities, with the hope, however, that the path undertaken at San Siro will quickly lead to a satisfactory conclusion for all players on the pitch.”
Notable aspects of this statement include the final remarks, where the Municipality outlines a major issue being that for this renovation to occur and the clubs to continue to play in the San Siro, the stadium will have to become the property of the teams. Furthermore, the Mayor noted that he is aware that both Milan and Inter will continue to explore their current alternative possibilities.
Italian journalist Daniele Viti has reported that both clubs remain “skeptical” about the idea because there is no real project yet and therefore timing and conditions are not yet clear. In the meantime, Viti concludes by stating that both clubs are continuing on their own paths for now.
