Reports: Green light at 3:46am – what happens now as council approve San Siro sale

After a debate that lasted for nearly 12 hours, AC Milan and Inter have been given the green light to buy San Siro at long last.

As MilanNews report, it was a lengthy session that began at 16:30 CEST yesterday, and at 03:46 CEST in the early hours of this morning, the Milan City Council approved the resolution to sell San Siro and the surrounding areas to the clubs.

This is a historic moment that will allow the two clubs to now work on building a new stadium in the current parking lot and demolishing much of the current one. The price is the same as set in recent months by the Revenue Agency: €197m, with the city contributing €22m.

The vote

There were hours of great tension in the chamber, both within the majority and the minority. While Monica Romano of the Democratic Party announced her yes at the start of the day, Marco Fumagalli – leader of the Lista Sala – announced he would not vote in favour of the sale.

The turning point, however, came when Forza Italia – which until a few days earlier had opposed the issue – announced it would abstain, thus lowering the number of favourable votes needed for approval.

Alessandro De Chirico, a Forza Italia councillor, did not follow his party’s advice and ultimately voted no, but the walkout of the other Forza Italia councillors was decisive in green-lighting the sale of San Siro to Milan and Inter.

Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images

What happens now?

With 24 votes in favor, 20 votes against and two abstentions, the City Council approved the resolution. What will happen next? The deed must be signed before November 10, the day the restriction on the second tier of San Siro will come into effect.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, the next 40 days will be needed to obtain the approval of the banks and complete the procedures for the transfer of ownership. Milan and Inter, in recent days, have already decided to entrust the project to Manica and Foster + Partners.

If everything goes according to plan (many appeals are expected in the coming weeks), construction of the new stadium should begin in the first half of 2027, while the inauguration of the new facility should take place in 2031 after approximately four years of work.

The next step involves the demolition of 90% of the current San Siro between 2031 and 2032, but the road to get to this point is still very long. There are many other things to do first, but an important first step has been taken.