AC Milan, along with Inter, have been working on the stadium project for quite some time now and it’s safe to say that it has been a slow process. There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel, though.
It has been two years since Milan presented the two designs in the running for the stadium project. Since then, also due to Covid-19, the progress has been slow and the meetings with the city council have been many.
Milan, Inter, the city council and the mayor have seemingly reached an understanding of sorts. In an interview with The Athletic, the Rossoneri’s CEO Ivan Gazidis provided an update on the new stadium, stating that a big hurdle has been overcome.
“It’s terrific progress. I’m very happy about that. We’ve had the elections here in Milan and the mayor has been re-elected. Coming out of that election cycle, which had put things on hold for a few months, we get a very clear direction now on the new stadium, which is an essential project, not just for football but the city of Milan, and he’s fully behind it, together with the Giunta (council).
“There are always individual opinions, but what I would say is the main hurdle has been overcome. Now we move to a new phase in the stadium project which is the detailed construction drawings and plans. This takes time with the architects to get ready for construction itself, and we’re now on that. It’s a very dramatic and significant step forward.
“I’m convinced the other stadium projects that have also faced scepticism in their local markets will have a tremendous catalyst, a tremendous boost.
“If we look at what Italian football can be, you know it takes time. But what it can be is a football league reinvigorated with many teams playing in brand-new, radically restructured facilities where fans are really embraced, presenting an incredible broadcast product — a league that’s commercially alive again, because clubs will invest in their commercial operations when they can see that those investments pay off.
“To me, the timeframe is 10 to 15 years for that vision to become a reality, but it needs to start now and it will start with the San Siro stadium,” he stated.
It remains to be seen when the Rossoneri will be able to begin construction of the stadium, but it’s clear that San Siro won’t be torn down until 2026. Hosting the opening ceremony of the Olympics will be its last job.
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