Milan is entering a decisive phase in the dispute over the future of San Siro. Mayor Beppe Sala has proposed a timeline that would finalize the sale of the land on which the iconic stadium stands by July 31. However, the plan has sparked significant opposition.

Tense meeting and coalition split

According to the ANSA news agency, Sala and leaders of the governing coalition agreed on a detailed schedule: finalize negotiations with AC Milan and Inter in the coming days, present the sale resolution to the City Council on July 21, then move quickly through committees and bring the issue to a final vote by the end of the month. The meeting, which lasted over two hours, was tense. Reports indicate that verbal clashes occurred and the mayor left the room at one point.

Not everyone in City Hall agrees with Sala’s pace. This is not the right time to deal with this issue, as we are currently working on the budget revision, said Beatrice Uguccioni, leader of the Democratic Party group. We’ll see if we can finalize everything by the end of the month. We’ll do everything we can to deliver the documents to the council on time.

Our position in the chamber remains unchanged. This path is not the right choice for the city, added Tommaso Gorini, a representative of the Green Party.

© Grzegorz Kaliciak 

“Sala, get out of the office!”

At the beginning of the latest City Council session, center-right opposition members staged a loud protest. Shouts of Beppe Sala, get out of the office! echoed through the chamber. The councillors demanded full transparency and a report on the negotiations so far. After a brief demonstration, they left the chamber and went up to the first floor of Palazzo Marino, trying to gain access to the mayor’s office.

Meanwhile, tensions are also rising on a second front: the upcoming decision of the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) on a request to suspend the sale preparations of San Siro.

© Grzegorz Kaliciak 

Key date officially set: November 10

The Sì Meazza committee, which opposes the demolition of the stadium, filed a court petition demanding the suspension of the sale preparations. They argue that San Siro’s second tier should already be under historical preservation protection, as its cultural value has passed the 70-year threshold.

In response, the Ministry of Culture confirmed that the relevant date is November 10, 1955 — the day the second tier was completed and tested. Therefore, the 70-year protection period would only start in November 2025, potentially allowing the sale and new construction to proceed beforehand.

Opponents, however, call this an arbitrary and incorrect ruling. They cite photos and press clippings from June 1955 showing the stadium already in use, arguing that the second tier was functional earlier. Activists claim this is an attempt to bypass institutional oversight.