With the end of June, the concession for Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino will expire. This deadline raises the issue of the future use of the sports complex. A few days ago, at the request of Mayor Stefano Lo Russo and Deputy Mayor for Sport Domenico Carretta, the city council approved the first resolution on the matter.

The city aims to resolve the mortgage issue

This act sets a direction aimed at fully utilizing the potential of the stadium. The property, owned by the city, is burdened with a 20-year financial mortgage, which also expires in 2025. In recent weeks, Mayor Stefano Lo Russo submitted a formal request to the Revenue Agency to not renew the mortgage registration. While awaiting the outcome of this request, the city begins the process of public consultations as required by the strict guidelines of the National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC) regarding the allocation of football stadium concessions.

The city authorities hope that the mortgages will not be renewed, allowing them to begin a process that will ensure the best outcome for the future use of the facility, leaving as many options open as possible for the city. If the Revenue Agency accepts the mayor’s request, new possibilities for the future of Stadio Olimpico could arise, beyond just a long-term concession, such as the sale of the land use rights or the potential acceptance of a public-private partnership proposal, in line with the current public procurement code.

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A new development direction for Olimpico?

According to the approved plan, given the exceptional nature of the situation and the public interest in not interrupting the current activities at Stadio Olimpico, the city may grant the stadium to its current tenant under the terms of the expiring concession, for a period of up to 18 months.

We have outlined an administrative path that allows for positive thinking about the future. We are working on implementing the project, which in our program is called Cittadella del Torino, started by unlocking the process of revitalizing Centro Sportivo Robaldo, which had been stalled for many years [...]. Stadio Olimpico is the heart of this great project, and this step is aimed at its realization.

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Torino fans fear for the future

Could there be something undisclosed regarding Stadio Olimpico? This is the concern of a group of Torino FC fans called Resistenti Granata 1906, who in an open letter asked Mayor Stefano Lo Russo to clarify the future of the stadium. Fans believe there is a lack of transparency regarding some aspects of the decisions made and express doubts about the true intentions of President Urbano Cairo regarding the acquisition and modernization of the facility.

esistenti Granata, who thank the mayor for accelerating the process of removing the mortgages, doubt whether Cairo is interested in taking on million-dollar investments when the current management has no real estate, not even an office. In the letter, the fans reiterate their desire for a change at the top of the club and hope that the hypothesis of extending the favorable lease contract for the current Torino FC owner, as has happened in the last 20 years, leaving the stadium outdated and without renovations, will not materialize.

While waiting for a response from the mayor regarding the future of the Torino stadium, fans are calling for transparency and expressing their frustration with unfulfilled promises and Cairo’s management of the club, which, according to them, is even reluctant to pay rents for the fields where the youth teams train and play.