Scaroni details next stadium steps and says Cardinale wants to stay ‘for a long time’

Paolo Scaroni spoke at great length about the sale of San Siro, Milan’s project for the new stadium, Cardinale’s desire to stay for a long time and more in a recent interview. 

It has been a big week for Milan so far, as the sale of San Siro was approved in the city council on Tuesday morning. We have published an article that answers the 10 questions on everyone’s mind, so don’t worry if you haven’t been keeping tabs.

Sure enough, it’s a big step in the right direction for Milan and Inter, who now will complete the purchase before getting to work on the design. Paolo Scaroni, the president of the Rossoneri, spoke to Milano Finanza (via MilanNews) about the matter.

In addition to the stadium, talking about the next steps and how the project will benefit the clubs, Scaroni also shared a message on behalf of RedBird. He said that Gerry Cardinale wants to remain for a long time, now more optimistic than ever about the future.

On the San Siro sale…

“The first objective is to have the deed signed by October, at which point we will pay the first €73m to the council. From that moment on, the design process of the stadium can begin, which we have already entrusted to Norman + Partners and Manica, two leading firms in the sector.

“To see the complete design, we will have to wait six to eight months and then we will move on to the analysis of the project, which will take another six months. Start of work in 2027? Absolutely yes. Granted that small setbacks can arise in projects this big, our goal is to complete the stadium in 2030.

“First matches in the 2030-2031 season? Ideally yes, especially to get things in order ahead of the 2032 Euros, for which ours will be one of the key stadiums. Around the stadium? We will have properties intended for hotels, offices, shopping centres and so on.

“However, realistically speaking, we will have to wait until 2027 or 2028 for a detailed design, because the priority is the new stadium. The Meazza will remain intact until the new stadium is ready, so work for the surrounding areas won’t begin before 2031-2032.”

What the stadium adds to the area…

“The new stadium will have 148,000 square meters of greenery, so more than 50% of the entire area will be dedicated to trees and parks. It will produce clean energy through panels on the roof.

“There will be services, bars and restaurants, spaces for conferences and events: this way we will keep the area lively seven days a week, all year round, even when matches aren’t being played.

“We will also add 3,600 underground parking spaces. In total, we expect 500,000 visitors per year between the museum and the new stadium, with a positive economic impact for the entire neighbourhood.”

New revenue sources for Milan and Inter…

“The new stadium will bring significant revenue to AC Milan’s accounts. I will give you three examples: Tottenham, Real Madrid, and Arsenal, who have invested in state-of-the-art facilities in recent years. All three more than doubled their revenue in their first year with the new stadiums.

“Milan and Inter are currently only reaching a fraction of the possible figures. To remain competitive from a sporting perspective, therefore, we need a modern stadium. We expect a substantial increase in revenue.

Tottenham’s new stadium

“Not because tickets for fans and families will be more expensive, but because we will be able to sell more packages with hospitality to companies and premium tickets. This is without even considering the revenue from other activities.”

RedBird and Cardinale…

“There is no connection between the construction of the stadium and the sale of the clubs. We want the new stadium because it will create value for Milan and Inter, allowing them to be more competitive internationally.

“As far as we are concerned, RedBird and Gerry Cardinale have a vocation for sport, and the acquisition of Milan was their most significant investment. Cardinale wants to remain the owner of Milan for a long time.

“The stadium is a fundamental piece in a process that aims to strengthen Milan as a sporting institution and a modern, solid, and ambitious company. I’m sure it will make him even more passionate about Milan and Italy.”