AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni has once again commented on the stadium issue, explaining why San Siro could not be renovated.
On Wednesday afternoon, a press release from Milan and Inter confirmed that the current San Siro has passed into the hands of the two clubs. It is the first big step in the stadium project, with the new 71,500-seater stadium set to begin construction in 2027 ahead of opening in 2031.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
In a recent feature we outlined why this is such an important moment in the plans of the two clubs and what the next steps are. This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport laid it bare with one simple fact: with the new stadium, the Rossoneri and Nerazzurri hope to make €100m more per year.
During his appearance on Nicola Porro’s programme 10 minuti on Rete 4 (via Radio Rossonera) Scaroni gave the latest on the stadium including why the clubs decided a new home was best and what the timescales are.
How will the area surrounding the stadium be managed?
“In the area currently occupied by the Meazza, we will build a hotel, a small shopping centre, and we will house the headquarters of Milan and Inter. We will also place the museums of the two teams and create a sports area next to the new stadium.
“I have always described the San Siro area as a desolate wasteland, in the sense that I consider it an area that is either too empty or too full: too full when there are matches, but the rest of the time it is empty, completely empty and dark to the point that one is afraid even to walk there.
“We envision a stadium that is always alive, day in and day out, even when there are no matches, with restaurants and entertainment options.”
Why was renovating the current stadium not an option?
“Essentially for two reasons. The first is that a renovation would not have allowed us to create the most beautiful stadium in Europe, which is our goal.
“The second is that renovating a stadium that has two teams playing in the league and cup competitions, where between 50,000 and 70,000 spectators enter every three days, is impossible without another stadium nearby to which we can relocate, at least temporarily.
“Unfortunately, there are no stadiums near Milan that have even half the capacity of the Meazza. So, based on all this, we decided to make a much larger investment and build a new stadium next to the Meazza.”
What are the next steps and what is the timeline?
“After six years, I believe – in fact, I’m absolutely certain – that we’ll be able to build the new stadium. We’re starting the design process quickly, and once the design is complete, within a year or a year and a half, we’ll begin construction.
“All of this will allow us, I believe by 2030, to have an efficient and functioning stadium in the San Siro area.”
Could San Siro be an example for the growth of Italian football?
“For me, San Siro is a symbol of Milan. As a non-Milanese who loves Milan, I believe Milan can also be an example in this area, because it’s true that Milan needs a new stadium, but so does almost all of Italy. We’ve wasted at least twenty years in sports investment and we need to make up for it.
“I think and hope that Milan’s example will inspire everyone to follow us and make our football the modern one it needs to be, to gain a foothold in international competitions .”
He really never tells the truth does he!
Reason 1- we couldnt build the most beautiful stadium. Well aside from the fact san siro is the coolest stadium, this is just a meaningless statement
Reason 2 – 50k to 70k supporters every 3 days.
As usual, completely inaccurate. Milan and Inter have a combined 38 league home games. Inter last year had 7 CL games and both teams had a combined 6 Cup games at San Siro so that is 51 games in 1 year. About 1 game a week
The truth, that we are never told, is that Redbird “specialise” in building stadia.
What they are doing is giving their own company a massive construction contract from which they can earn a fortune. This is and always has been the reason they are here
Yes moving to another stadium is one option during construction but most just redevelop sections of the stadium at a time. Just watch the timelapse clip of Atalantas stadium rebuild
Lol i bet you have never been to san Siro.
Yes I have
I first went in 1994.
I was last there in 2023
Whats your point?
I bet you have never been, as it is those who don’t know the amazing atmosphere don’t care about it.
Most people who have been say it is the best atmosphere/stadium they have ever been too.
Nice tinfoil hat mate.
Old stupid white man trying to explain why renovation is impossible: “would not have allowed us to create the most beautiful stadium in Europe“ That is a blatant lie. The new stadium will never be as beautiful as San Siro. San Siro is already amongst the most beautiful in the world.
Second they could easily just redevelope all the surrounding areas upgrading the puplic spaces and amenneties while building a inter and milan museum on the area.
The obvious reason is the RedBird and Scaroni is keeping Milan hostage as a cash cow they can milk in their petty ways selling black and red plastic merchandise to turists creating a shopping mall and a hotel. things which they could do anyway somewhere else. Dont need to tear down San Siro.
Have you been in the San Siro? And any new modern stadium? The San Siro is iconic, it is also an old, decrepit mess. Milan needs a new stadium, not to live in the past.
Is that why Madrid remained at Bernabeu and developed it?
You don’t destroy history to make history!
San Siro is OLD and not up to modern stadium standards. It costs way more to renovate the San Siro, than it would to build a new one and tear it down, which right now already costs 1.5 Billion.
And Scaroni was not lying. if you wanted to rennovate the San Siro, the teams would have no other stadium in the entire Lombardy region that could hold the number of fans that go to even Inter matches, much less Milan matches.
It was simply not viable to keep the San Siro. Not even Atalanta’s stadium can hold the numbers that just one of Milan or Inter carry for a home match, and they would have to do it EVERY WEEKEND AND MID-WEEK.
So don’t talk if you don’t actually know.
If you’ve never gone there before, you now have a deadline of until 2030 to go there once as a Milan fan.