The president of Lazio, Claudio Lotito, has been working on an ambitious project aimed at constructing a stadium for the Biancocelesti team for several years in order to enablethem to no longer share a facility with AS Roma. Will this investment come to fruition?

New life after thirteen years?

In 2004, I presented a project that today could be a city landmark: with a boat harbor, a road junction, a railway station at the stadium. I was told that Lotito wanted to speculate. Today, such threats are not there, said the Lazio president in an interview with Campidoglio.

Stadio Flamino was inaugurated in 1958 and could accommodate over 40,000 spectators. During the 1989/90 season, both AS Roma and Lazio played at the stadium while Stadio Olimpico underwent renovations for the 1990 World Cup. From 2000 to 2011, it was home to the Italian national rugby team. Until 2011, an amateur football club, Atletico Roma FC, also played at the venue.

However, Flamino never underwent any significant renovations, leading to a gradual decline in its condition over the years. Additionally, for safety reasons, its capacity was reduced, from the initial 40,000, to nearly half of this number in the early 2000s. Thanks to temporary measures undertaken by the Italian rugby federation, the stadium's capacity increased to 30,000 in 2011, with a modular stand added behind one of the goals. Unfortunately, in the same year, the Italian rugby team relocated to Stadio Olimpico, causing the stadium to lose its main tenant. Since then, the stadium has stood empty and is deteriorating.

© _smARTraveller

When will we see final project?

In 2021, there was a proposal to use the facility in a multidisciplinary manner, utilizing existing underground pools and gymnasiums. Currently, it is under reconsideration, with city authorities also open to other projects. Lazio president promises that the project will be officially presented no earlier than May, focusing primarily on increasing Flamino's capacity to 45,000 or even 50,000 seats.

This is a project we are working on. It is not easy because there are many constraints to overcome and many issues to resolve, starting from the system's scope to its capacity. I cannot promise anyone who loves Lazio that the new stadium will be Flaminio, but I can assure you that we will do everything in our power to make it happen, said Claudio Lotito in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Although the project has not yet been presented, advanced work is underway on its details. A few days ago, during a Radiosei broadcast, further details were revealed. The municipality said no to the proposal to build a shopping center near the stadium. The rejection of this key point forces Lazio to rethink significant aspects of the proposal. This element could not only change the layout of the area but also impact the economic aspects of the entire venture.

It will be a challenge for Lotito and his partners, who will have to reconsider the project to reconcile the needs of the team and fans with the guidelines of the Municipal Office. At this moment, there are no specific details about Lazio's next moves. The office's rejection of the shopping center could lead to significant changes in the entire project. However, Claudio Lotito's goal remains unchanged: we must work on a new stadium.

© _smARTraveller

Will rugby take over Flamino?

It turns out that the facility, abandoned for almost 13 years, has attracted not only Lazio but also the Italian Rugby Federation. Marzio Innocenti, the Federation president, met with representatives of the consortium working on the revitalization of Flamino. The meeting aimed to discuss collaboration between the Italian Rugby Federation and the consortium, to precisely identify needs and determine the most suitable strategies to begin the stadium's renovation.