Sala states he has ‘done everything’ to get San Siro done for Milan and Inter: “We’ll see”

AC Milan and Inter are in a nervy waiting period, with a decision about San Siro currently being discussed.

There are several issues with San Siro currently, as beautiful as the stadium may be. Ultimately, it is no longer fitting to be named as one of Europe’s best stadiums, even if it remains every bit as iconic.

The decision to strip the stadium of the 2027 Champions League final is telling, whilst, in its current state at least, it will also not be able to be a host stadium for the 2032 European Championship. These are big problems.

Sala’s statements

Beppe Sala, the Mayor of Milan, has campaigned for a new stadium, and with a designer in place for a rebuild, there is certainly positivity. However, the Mayor has admitted today that he cannot prejudge a decision.

Outside the inauguration of Zurich’s new headquarters in the city centre, he spoke about the matter to Repubblica, via MilanNews.

“I believe I negotiated the best I could with the teams. I’ve been involved in a lot of negotiations in my professional life, but I certainly haven’t learned anything in this moment. I’ve done everything I could.

The council meeting…

“It’s an issue that I understand will be divisive; on the other hand, at this point, there truly is freedom of thought and opinion for the councillors, who must do their part. Of course, I hope for a favourable decision, but I certainly can’t prejudge anything.”

The opposition…

“I understand his thinking. We’ll see what he does. I explained to him why, in my opinion, Milan needs a new stadium, and I told him, ‘decide in good conscience, think about it.’ I can’t say what he’ll vote for. Certainly, from the way we left off last night, he hasn’t decided yet; we’ll see.”

Sale to the clubs…

“The sale of the San Siro stadium and the planned development of the area by Inter and AC Milan is something that will mark an important moment for the city and will also be a point of contention during the election campaign, between those who have shown themselves in favour of this change and those who reject it.

“Unfortunately, in politics, opinions are often expressed not so much for what is believed to be right, but for political positioning and to oppose the mayor. I struggle to understand how a minority could be opposed to a development proposal for the city that would create so many jobs and a huge economic boost.”

“If the resolution doesn’t pass, they would quickly move towards another situation, namely building two stadiums, one in San Donato Milanese and the other in Rozzano. Even from an environmental standpoint, we risk having to build on a currently relatively green area like San Donato, and with the fact that we will be left with an empty San Siro, so I see a danger.

“But I don’t want to insist, and I will accept whatever the council decides without any qualms, “because at this point I have a clear conscience, and for someone like me, that matters a lot. The Council has sovereign power on certain matters, and I will be the first to accept every decision the Council makes.”