(Rome) AC Milan, which shares the legendary San Siro with Inter, formalized its discussions on Wednesday with the town of San Donato Milanese, in the suburbs of the Lombard capital, for the possible construction of its new stadium.
“The club took (Wednesday) the first formal step, with a view to a possible request for a building permit, by presenting to the San Donato Milanese municipal council its urban development project for the San Francesco district,” explained the club. AC Milan in a statement.
San Donato Milanese is located southeast of Milan, the exact opposite and 15 kilometers from San Siro.
This urban development project includes “the creation of a single access hub for trains, metros and highways which would allow the regeneration of an abandoned urban area,” added the Lombard club.
AC Milan did not give a date for the possible move into its new stadium or even a possible date for the start of work, but said the venue would have a capacity of around 70,000 spectators and that he had entrusted the American architectural firm Manica with the design of plans for a stadium which will be “innovative, sustainable and multifunctional”.
Manica is the firm that notably designed the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas where the Las Vegas Raiders American football team plays, the Chase Center in San Francisco, the compound of the Golden State Warriors NBA team and the renovation of Camp Nou, the FC Barcelona stadium.
AC Milan and Inter initially wanted to build a new stadium that they would share, not far from San Siro. But this joint project was abandoned, in particular because the cultural heritage commission requested by the municipality of Milan, owner of the stadium, announced last month that “San Siro could not be destroyed” because of “its cultural interest”.
San Siro, whose official name is Giuseppe-Meazza, is a concrete cathedral with 80,000 seats built in 1926, but no longer meeting the needs of clubs despite its modernization for the 1990 World Cup.
In 2026, San Siro will host the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympic Games.