On September 13, a meeting took place at Palazzo Marino between the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, and the top management of Inter and AC Milan. The clubs rejected the proposal for San Siro's renovation by WeBuild, which would have cost around €400 million.

They said "no"

After long analysis, the teams concluded that San Siro cannot be renovated, at least not at affordable costs, and therefore, they do not consider this option viable, contrary to what was thought in recent months. Their proposal is to return to the idea of a new stadium in the San Siro area, said Sala after the meeting. This is an unexpected turn of events, as the hypothesis of a new facility near Meazza, first raised in 2019, had been ruled out, to the point that both clubs had begun concrete steps toward building two independent arenas in San Donato and Rozzano. The clubs reached this conclusion after extensive technical and economic feasibility analysis, the mayor explained.

The proposal from the Milan authorities involved the renovation of Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. San Siro project and feasibility study were entrusted to WeBuild, which presented a plan to Milan and Inter for renovating the stadium without causing difficulties for the teams and their schedules. Renovation and adaptations would go hand in hand. If both clubs had accepted the proposal, the facility would have been sold to them.

© Grzegorz Kaliciak

Returning to a familiar project

Since 2019, some work has been done, and it's now possible to start over, precisely with a city council resolution that will say yes to a new stadium to the west of San Siro, toward via Tesio and Parco dei Capitani. The project from the company Populous will most likely be used, though with some modifications resulting from public debate. Inter and Milan aim to build a 70,000-seat stadium while maintaining the current ticket prices. Additionally, the area around the stadium will see an increase in green spaces, with greenery increasing from 18% around San Siro to 50%. The project will also need to update the allowable distance from houses on via Tesio, sound impact mitigation measures, and allocate €40 million for urban redevelopment of public facilities around Piazzale Selinunte.

© Populous / Nuovo Stadio Milano

Tensions rise in the city council

As for the future of San Siro, it will certainly be partially dismantled, but it will still be suitable for sports and other public functions, such as hosting a museum. Milan is preparing for some heated months. City council members who have always opposed building a new stadium are already preparing for a fight. The teams change their minds every ten days and play with the municipality because they encounter weak and submissive interlocutors, said councilor Carlo Monguzzi. The city gave clear direction: renovate Meazza. Another stadium next to San Siro would be madness, destroying 50,000 m² of green space! he concluded.

The first meeting on this matter will be held on September 27 at 4:30 PM. Even within the Democratic Party, opposition voices are emerging against the idea of a new stadium. Alessandro Giungi, for example, said, For years, we've witnessed a flood of hypotheses, requests, and proposals. Of course, I oppose the idea of building a stadium near San Siro, for environmental reasons and simple common sense. I believe it's time for the city council to get involved and be officially informed about this never-ending game. On the other hand, center-right councilors, mostly in favor of the new stadium, accuse Sala of wasting time and returning to the original idea. According to the leader of the Fratelli d'Italia group, Riccardo Truppo, the project of two stadiums is one of the best projects that can be pursued and should be continued.