GdS: ‘Green light for San Siro’ – two major developments boost Milan and Inter’s stadium hopes

At last some positive news has arrived regarding the new stadium project, with a deal agreed to buy San Siro and the surrounding areas.

The path to a new stadium has been littered with obstacles and worries for the best part of a decade now. Most recently, there was an appeal regarding the demolition of the second tier because of a dispute over its actual age, but it was confirmed yesterday that it had been rejected in local court.

San Siro: A further step forward

As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, the ‘new San Siro’ is definitely more likely today than it was yesterday. The appeal threatened to derail everything if upheld, but two positive developments have arrived for the clubs.

The first: the Lombardy Regional Administrative Court (TAR) has rejected the request from the ‘Si Meazza’ Committee to put off the sale in order to look into the historical-architectural restriction on the second tier.

The court battle isn’t over, however, not only because of the judicial uproar that yesterday led to the arrest warrant for well-known real estate developer Manfredi Catella and Milan City Councilor for Urban Planning, Giancarlo Tancredi.

“The case is still pending before the Regional Administrative Court (TAR), the Court of Auditors, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC),” said Luigi Corbani, president of the ‘Si Meazza’ Committee.

Furthermore, the Committee will seek recognition of an existing restriction on the West Stand, leveraging a 2023 opinion from the Superintendency that highlighted the stand’s value as an ‘exposed archive’ due to the presence of several plaques and epigraphs.

The second development is equally important: Inter, Milan, and the City Council have essentially reached an agreement on the price of the stadium and surrounding areas. Tensions have been resolved, and work is underway to finalise the legal details.

Essentially, an agreement is imminent for the sale of San Siro and its surrounding areas for €197m, a figure established by the Revenue Agency, with the City of Milan sharing some costs. What costs? Likely those related to waste disposal and remediation.

Caution is mandatory, but a path has been mapped out, and time is running out. The reasons behind the agreement are understandable: the two clubs have every interest in having a stadium in the city and sharing it to split the costs.

The City Council must prevent the teams from moving elsewhere – for example, to San Donato, where Milan has already worked on a project – and San Siro from remaining an unproductive monument, used occasionally for concerts.