Milan’s historic San Siro stadium is set to be demolished after the northern city approved its sale to Serie A football giants Inter and AC Milan.
Councillors’ approval came after Inter and AC Milan both threatened to leave the city in the event of a blocked sale.
Over 11 hours of debate at Milan’s city hall ended with 24 votes in favour and 20 against – enough for Italy’s economic capital to allow the two clubs to purchase the iconic stadium and adjacent land for €197 million.
Confirmation of the councillors’ resolution didn’t come until nearly 4am, following a long night of discussions over a raft of proposed amendments.
In the end, Inter and AC Milan got what they wanted after months of uncertainty over an ambitious €1.2-billion construction project.
The clubs said in a statement on Tuesday that the favourable vote was “a historic and decisive step” for their future, leading to “the creation of a new stadium meeting the highest international standards.”
Inter and AC Milan submitted a proposal for the purchase of the site from the city in March, after previous construction plans were scrapped due to a series of bureaucratic and political setbacks.
Following councillors’ approval, Inter and AC Milan will take control of just over 28 hectares of public land in a densely populated area on the western outskirts of Milan.
Under the current project, a modern 71,500-capacity arena will be built on a piece of land west of San Siro.
Once the new ground is constructed, San Siro will be demolished to make way for new parkland, office spaces and entertainment facilities designed by architectural firms Foster and Partners and MANICA.
The new ground is expected to be completed by 2031, with San Siro’s demolition scheduled to start shortly afterwards.
Inter and AC Milan will continue to play their home matches at San Siro until the new stadium is delivered.
Political anger
The sale’s approval was helped by the abstention of councillors from the centre-right Forza Italia party, which was founded by former premier and AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi.
The other opposition parties, the hard-right League and Brothers of Italy, both voted against the sale, as did a number of councillors from the left-leaning majority backing Mayor Giuseppe Sala’s administration.
The clubs’ construction project has been harshly criticised in recent weeks, with some members of the council arguing that it didn’t include any concrete details regarding the new stadium and the future development of the surrounding area.
The sale price (€197 million) has also been regarded as too low for a prime area of Milan real estate.
The construction of a new stadium in Milan is expected to please Italy’s football federation, FIGC, as the northern city is one of the top candidates to hold matches during the Euro 2032 tournament.
San Siro no longer meets UEFA requirements to host major events and recently saw its bid for the 2027 Champions League final denied.
Inter and AC Milan’s new football ground is set to be built in accordance with the latest UEFA requirements, meaning it will be able to host major international events, including Euro 2032 matches.
With reporting from AFP.