Five years ago everything was different as AC Milan and Inter embarked on a new stadium project together. Now, their paths are running in opposite directions.
La Gazzetta dello Sport recalls how it was back in 2018 that Milan and Inter jointly published a statement in which they said they wanted to a new stadium solution together given the age of the current San Siro.
“”There are several possible options including the renovation of San Siro. We believe we can conclude this first exploratory phase by end of 2018,” part of it read.
Today everything has changed as Inter and Milan will go alone. The Nerazzurri are exploring a move to Rozzano, while the Rossoneri are more concretely pointing towards San Donato Milanese. Two different areas for two very different projects.
What happened in this period of time? Why did the two clubs – once arm in arm to walk together in the construction of a new stadium – choose to continue alone? What were the frictions?
What is certain is that the timescales imposed by law on the Council of Milan to grant the definitive green light to the ‘Cathedral’ made the ownerships impatient and indirectly cooled the relations between the properties.
The old Cathedral project – created by the Populous studio – envisaged a 60,000-seat facility built with two tiers. The master plan also envisaged five other components in addition to the stadium, namely a sports centre with affiliated facilities and a tower with offices.
There were also plans for a community centre, a shared street – façade and access portal to the neighbourhood – and a ‘Cittadella dello Sport’ which was a building of three levels with commercial, entertainment, sports and museum functions.
Initially the division was planned in this way: 68,000 square metres of commercial area, 9,000 for entertainment, 21,000 thousand for tertiary activities, 2,700 for the museum, 1,300 thousand for sports activities and 4,000 for a conference centre.
In the end a constraint was placed at San Siro ruling that it cannot be demolished, so then the two ownerships decided to think about going on their own. For Milan, the La Maura idea quickly came and went.
Alessandro Antonello – CEO of the Nerazzurri – commented on this choice a few months ago: “The main option remains the San Siro stadium together with Milan, but the Rossoneri have officially communicated that there is formal interest in the La Maura area.
“This will require a few days of analysis by Milan, before meeting again, to understand whether that area will be the subject of development or whether we will proceed together.”
Eventually the two teams separated. Paolo Scaroni, president of Milan, also returned to the stadium issue in recent months. These were his words in April 2023.
“Now even the most obvious things become the subject of debate. They ask me: ‘Why don’t you renovate San Siro?’. Two teams play there and 50 thousand people enter every four days,” he said.
“It’s an old and obsolete stadium. There isn’t one near Milan. a facility that can host Inter and Milan. In short, it can’t be done. We have to create entertainment. And build stadiums that are beautiful to look at.”
It is time to split . AC Milan will build new stadium , while monza and IM rent san siro ( IM on huge debt from oaktree ) .