Reports: ‘San Siro is not sellable’ – Milan and Inter suffer another blow in stadium plan

There has been yet another setback in AC Milan and Inter’s hopes of building a new stadium as the current one might not be able to be sold.

The path to a new stadium has been littered with obstacles for a long time now, no matter where Milan and/or Inter intended to build their new home. Recently, the clubs circles back to the idea of building a new stadium next to the current one.

Some good news arrived in the past few weeks regarding the appeal over the demolition of the second tier, which was rejected in local court. Then, it also emerged that a purchase price had been agreed between the City Council and the two clubs, so the good news was doubled.

San Siro not for sale?

The lawyer and writer Felice Raimondo writes: “Surprise: San Siro is not sellable. Another blow for Sala: despite the Municipality having put in writing the valuations for the sale of the stadium, a resolution from 2000 designates it as an inalienable asset.

“And in September, the opposition could lend a hand by boycotting the vote, thus lowering the quorum and allowing the majority to succeed even without the dissenters within its ranks.”

As reported by La Verità, Mayor Sala seems increasingly alone in his race to sell the San Siro stadium to Milan and Inter. The operation, which involves the demolition of the Meazza and the construction of a new facility alongside a large real estate complex, is clashing not only with an increasingly opposed public opinion but also with a political and legal obstacle ignored for weeks.

The council resolution of 16 June 2000 designates San Siro as a public asset, part of the Municipality’s inalienable heritage, intended ‘for the participation of citizens in the most prestigious football events’. The one to bring up this document was Luigi Corbani, a former reformist deputy mayor.

That document, still in force today, establishes that the stadium can be granted for use but not sold, unless its sporting functions cease or its public function is guaranteed. None of this has been resolved, yet the Council has already started negotiations with the clubs, put sale valuations in writing, and even estimated a demolition cost of €52m.

Making matters worse is the political vacuum in which this manoeuvre is taking place. To pass the resolution, 25 votes are needed in the Council. The majority formally has 31, but at least seven councillors have already distanced themselves.

One of these is Carlo Monguzzi, who statees: “The resolution is politically unsustainable. It’s unthinkable that the most important urban planning decision in decades would hinge on the votes of the center-right opposition. It’s a matter of the majority’s credibility.”

To avoid a headcount in the chamber, Giuseppe Bonomi (a member of the new stadium’s steering committee and a manager close to the League) and Alessandro Pasquarelli (very close to the mayor and part of the same committee) have a plan.

The pair are reportedly trying to convince Lega and Forza Italia councillors to boycott the session, thus lowering the quorum and allowing the resolution to pass without facing internal dissent.