The situation related to AC Milan’s stadium plans is moving at a fast pace and the Mayor of the city Beppe Sala has once again spoken about San Siro’s future.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) reports this morning, there is no shortage of controversy surrounding both Milan’s plan to build in San Donato and the Council’s aims to convince the teams to stay at San Siro by renovating it.
Sala, the Mayor of Milan, spoke to Corriere della Sera about the future of San Siro: “It is legitimate for the teams to look for the possibility of building another stadium and it is my duty to defend it, also because if they leave what will I do with San Siro? I will have to find a solution and put it on sale.”
Sala reiterated that an attempt is underway to convince Inter and Milan to stay in a renovated San Siro and spend €300m bringing the stadium more into the modern era, but it is an option which – especially for Milan – is decidedly unlikely at the moment.
The citizens of San Donato meanwhile are calling for a referendum on the stadium. Mayor Francesco Squeri yesterday met 190 citizens in the Council Chamber to talk about the plans for Milan to build a new home there.
The expected controversies arrived on time. The mayor explained that ‘a committee will be formed by the guarantors who will evaluate whether the referendum is admissible’.
He then responded on the merits: “The law does not provide for a referendum for a variant to the Territorial Government Plan, among other things a land and a private project.”
Can a consultative referendum be held? Can it be promoted on a project that involves multiple councils? That remains to be understood, but in the meantime the process continues.
At the end of February the mayor will communicate to the City Council the launch of the program agreement, the round table with the Region and the other bodies that will have to address the problems on the key issues.
In 15-18 months, we will return to the Council for the vote on ratification of the variant. The road is long.