Milan CEO Paolo Scaroni is still in favour of building a new stadium in the same area as the current Stadio Meazza following demolition talks.
AC Milan and city rivals Inter rejected a plan to renovate their San Siro ground in September but revived proposals to build a new joint stadium in the same area. Talks with the city to build a new joint arena to replace the old San Siro stalled amid political resistance and heritage rules. Inter and Milan see a new modern arena as a way to boost revenues, which lag behind those of their European peers.
Speaking at the recent Sports Industry Talk event, Scaroni discussed what Milan and Inter would need for a new stadium. He claims that if the Rossoneri are to replace their current ground, then the new stadium would have to be the best in the world. And, if the Rossoneri are to move into a new stadium, Scaroni suggests that the current famous ground would instead be used for other sporting and commercial activities, and could also become a new home to the club’s headquarters.
“If Milan and Inter build a stadium in 2030, it has to be the most beautiful in the world,” Scaroni said, reported via La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It’s not San Siro that’s iconic, it’s Milan and Inter that made it iconic. We are happy to stay in the San Siro area, it is well connected and it is our home. We are evaluating the possibility of building a new stadium in San Siro. Once built, we aim to transform the Meazza, using that area for sporting and commercial activities with the clubs’ headquarters and museums there too.”
The San Siro’s Stadio Meazza is famous all around the football world for its unique colloseum design and four corner towers. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, the largest stadium in Italy, and has hosted games at the 1934 and 1990 FIFA World Cups, UEFA Euro 1980 and four European Cup finals, in 1965, 1970, 2001 and 2016. Milan and Serie A champions Inter are now both controlled by U.S. based investment firms, respectively RedBird and Oaktree, after the latter took over Inter from Chinese firm Suning in May.