Inter outplayed as Milan strike gold with La Maura stadium - full breakdown [Bonus article]
By: Isak Möller
In the space of just a few days, a lot has happened regarding AC Milan’s stadium project. In this bonus article, we will break down the latest developments and provide you with a necessary (albeit frustrating) background on how we ended up here.
The background
It’s been over three years since Milan and Inter first unveiled their hefty and ambitious project for the San Siro area. Back then, there was some belief that the project could go all the way - given the proposed investment and the direct effects that would benefit the city as well - but there were also voices of concern with regard to the bureaucratic procedures in Italy.
Unfortunately, the sceptics were proven right on that one as there has been very little movement since the project was unveiled. After a long process of altering the project to suit the demands of the city council, the project was finally the subject of a public debate back in September all through November. That came after months of preparing for the matter, which is another example of just how long things take in Italy.
The outcome of the debate did raise some questions and concerns, but the overall verdict of those in the known suggested that it ended in favour of Milan and Inter’s project. Just as there was some light at the end of the tunnel, though, another obstacle emerged in the shape of the Undersecretary to Culture Vittorio Sgarbi. Using his position, he urged other authorities to issue a constraint on San Siro - a landmark if you will.
It was deemed back in 2019 by the Superintendence that San Siro wasn’t qualified for such a constraint. But amid a personnel change, with Emanuela Carpani taking over that role, there is some uncertainty and Milan - as well as Inter - have grown tired of the situation and that is where we stand now.
The latest developments
During a meeting between the Milan mayor Beppe Sala, AC Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani, President Paolo Scaroni and Inter CEO Alessandro Antonello on Tuesday morning, it was confirmed that Milan are interested in building their stadium in the La Maura area (more on that below). Inter, while surprised that Milan now want to build on their own, also revealed a Plan B outside of Milano (although it might be a bluff). It seems, therefore, that both could leave San Siro.
“The hypothesis of a single stadium for the two teams remains alive, but today Milan announced that they are looking at a new area with interest, which is that of La Maura, with a solitary initiative that would also involve the Rossoneri youth and women’s teams,” Beppe Sala began.
“No one wants San Siro anymore, it’s obvious. It’s not a problem of costs, but the clubs believe they can’t get enough revenue. I’m embittered as a mayor, as a citizen and as a fan, but we’ve already understood that by now. It will be an additional problem for the Council,” he concluded.
On Wednesday evening, Milan owner Gerry Cardinale also had a meeting with Beppe Sala. The willingness to build in the La Maura area was reiterated and there was even a meeting with the President of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, which says a lot about the American’s intention.
On his Facebook page, Fontana described the meeting: “Today I had the pleasure of meeting Gerry Cardinale, owner of AC Milan. A general meeting during which I illustrated the characteristics and potential of what is the most important region in terms of economic production in the entire country. As a Rossoneri fan, I couldn't help but share some football ideas with him, reminding him that the Milan fans are a 'special' heritage that always back the team.”
Cardinale also shared some words on the matter: “Milan should have access to a ‘world class’ facility. We are evaluating different sites to build the new stadium, including an area near San Siro, to understand what is possible. We are doing it together with the Council of Milan and the Lombardy Region.”
These two meetings are very important for Milan as there are some environmental constraints that need to be followed even in the La Maura area. The area may be privately owned, but that doesn’t mean Milan can do whatever they like. The relations with both Mayor Sala and President Fonatant could thus be crucial in the end.
For the city, it would obviously be beneficial to keep Milan within the city limits and if Inter were to remain at San Siro, then it could end up being a win-win situation.
Milan’s possible new home
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the La Maura area, which has been at the centre of attention in Italian media this week. Just 1-1.5km or so northwest of the San Siro, there is currently a horse track that the land owners Snai are willing to sell.
In the image below, courtesy of the brilliant blog Urbanfile, you can see the La Maura area that Milan have officially expressed their interest in. In fact, Gerry Cardinale visited the area prior to the Spurs game and as said, it’s very close to the Giuseppe Meazza. You can even see it in the image.
So why does this particular area appeal to Milan so much? First of all, the land is owned privately by Snai and the city council could thus not intervene to the same extent as with the San Siro area (which is public land). Secondly, there aren’t many areas like this within Milano and that’s also why previous options for the stadium have been located outside of the city.
The closest metro station is Uruguay, part of the metro line 1 route, and it’s located roughly 800 metres from the stadium site. It’s not as well-connected as San Siro, which has a metro station 200 metres away but also bus and tram connections. La Maura, on the other hand, has just the metro and busses. But it certainly could be worse and it’s indeed good enough.
Of course, ATM (who are in charge of the metro) would have to renovate the metro stations close to La Maura to cope with the pressure. Many fans make use of the metro on gameday and they are always packed (to a crazy extent) when you get close to the stadium. But there is plenty of time to do that work.
Milan will seemingly evaluate the La Maura area in the coming weeks and then return with their final decision, with a focus on feasibility. In this extremely long saga, it’s almost surreal that we could get the final decision of the Rossoneri in just a few weeks. If they decide to abandon the La Maura hypothesis (which seems unlikely at the moment), though, the search will continue.
The idea, as per Il Sole 24 Ore, is to invest €600-700m in building the stadium in that area and although those figures sound low for a stadium, it’s because it would be less complicated than in the San Siro area (which also required demolition). The capacity will be 70k, as opposed to the proposed 60k in the San Siro project.
In the image below, courtesy of Urbanfile once again, you can see the La Maura area and what it would look like with a stadium. With quite some space left, and as was revealed by the Milan mayor, Milan also intend to build facilities for the Women and Youth teams there too. Given the size of the area, the stadium could also be located a few hundred meters from the closest houses as well (to avoid disturbing those living there).
It remains to be seen if this is the place for Milan’s new home. It’s worth mentioning that the potential timeline for the project is that the work could begin sometime in 2025, with the inauguration in 2028. That is because the land is currently the protagonist of a pre-agreement between Snai and another company, which is a situation we shall not go into further as it would complicate matters.
In short, though, whether Milan buy the land from Snai or the potential new owners, it would not be a problem timing-wise as they wouldn’t be able to start work earlier than 2025 anyway. There is a whole process to complete in terms of bureaucratic commitments and deciding the design of the stadium, which is inevitable.
This morning (Friday), rumours emerged about who could be the architect for Milan’s new stadium in La Maura, and it has to do with the aforementioned pre-agreement. The well-known architect Stefano Boeri was named for the latter project and his role could roll over to Milan’s project as well.
It’s a solution that could benefit Milan as Boeri focuses a lot on the environment in his projects, incorporating trees for example on the buildings rather than around them. In fact, he was actually in the running for the San Siro project and his proposed design - even if it was eventually turned down by the clubs - was quite cool.
Other areas that the Rossoneri are considering include Sesto San Giovanni, Segrate, San Donato and Rozzano. Out of those four, Sesto appears to be the favourite as the mayor there has already made it known that Milan are very welcome. Furthermore, that area is well-connected with the metro despite being outside of the city. Gerry Cardinale has been to visit that site as well.
What to make of it
The reality is that there is not really a Plan B, C or D for Milan but rather they will evaluate all of the options and pick the one with the best conditions. La Maura, for now, appears to have a slight edge and the Rossoneri are seriously evaluating that option with a decision expected very soon as well (which is exciting!).
“I’m a big believer in being independent, but right now there’s nothing we shut out regardless. But you know, I think that Inter at the moment is thinking about what their future will be and we are focusing on ours and what can be the best solution for us. The fans have done their job, now it's up to us,” Cardinale said.
It would be foolish to celebrate before we have crossed the bridge, though, and if the whole debacle has taught us anything is that no predictions can be made. On the other hand, one can’t help to be happy about the fact that the new stadium could remain within the city limits.
Today it’s fundamental for a football team to own its stadium and sporting facilities not just to maximise its revenues but also to have freedom of action in terms of alternative business developments. For instance, what Tottenham is doing is a benchmark case study towards the future of football facilities management.