To renovate Stadio Renzo Barbera and turn it into a modern facility, approximately 30 million € is needed. The municipality does not have these funds and would not be able to quickly carry out even the most urgent works, which are estimated to cost between 1.5–1.7 million €. The modernization would mainly involve the lighting towers, electrical installation, and repairing the leaking roof of the stands.

Modernization urgently needed

Time is running out. Serie B will start in just over a month, and Palermo has asked Lega Calcio to play the first three matches of the 2024/2025 season away to allow for the necessary construction work. Stadio Renzo Barbera must be adapted to the requirements set by the provincial supervisory commission for public entertainment venues, an authority appointed by the prefecture that assesses the safety and suitability of sports facilities.

The club has already carried out work on the stadium, funded by an amount agreed with the municipality under a concession agreement valid until 2026. This work amounted to over 400,000 € (the concession is just over 172,000 € per year). Representatives of Palermo and the municipal authorities are discussing reaching an agreement.

The city is open to signing a long-term – multi-decade – concession in exchange for the club committing to cover the entire amount needed for a thorough modernization of the stadium, which is 30 million €. The goal is to agree on an investment plan step by step to address all urgent issues concerning the condition of Stadio Renzo Barbera – a stadium built in the 1930s and renovated for the 1990 World Cup.

© Robert Saganowski, Stadiony.net

Optimism prevails

Sports councilor Alessandro Anello is optimistic about the possibility of reaching an agreement with the club controlled by City Group: I hope we can reach an agreement as soon as possible. Palermo is a serious club with a solid ownership team that plans to elevate the football team to the highest level. Therefore, the municipal authorities are fully willing to support this development path. It is in our mutual interest to have a stadium that meets the company's ambitions, he said, as quoted by Parma Today.