Officials of Inter Milan and AC Milan have decided on a complete replacement of the turf while Nerazzurri were participating in the Italian Super Cup held in Saudi Arabia. As a result, the Inter – Atalanta match was postponed to another date, providing enough time for the necessary work to be carried out.

Laborious but necessary process

The condition of the turf had been a concern for the teams playing on it for quite some time. Work began on January 14, immediately after the match between Milan and Roma, to ensure everything was ready for the next home game of Rossoneri on January 27. The process involved several stages. Initially, after removing the old turf, new rolls of natural turf were laid, followed by the most delicate and time-consuming operation – the installation of artificial turf fragments using special machines.

For about a decade, the surface at the Milan stadium has been hybrid, consisting of 15% synthetic threads incorporated into the grass, and this percentage remains unchanged. The next stage, scheduled to be completed this week, involves the installation of plastic threads mixed with natural ones. The new turf will be tested by Milan players the day before the match against Bologna.

© Grzegorz Kaliciak 

Enormous wear and tear on turf

Milan and Inter manage the facility through the MI Stadio company. The decision to replace the turf was made because the grass density, especially in the middle of the field, was lower than in other areas. While this didn't pose a threat to the physical safety of players, the ball certainly moved less smoothly in those areas. San Siro hosts almost 50 matches each season.

Replacement after two years

Giovanni Castelli is responsible for the turf replacement at the stadium, and he spent the past few weeks in Riyadh preparing training fields for the four teams participating in the Italian Super Cup. The total cost of replacing the turf at San Siro is estimated to be €500,000. The previous turf replacement took place almost exactly two years ago when 8 matches were played in just 17 days (with 2 matches in only 24 hours).

© Grzegorz Kaliciak