As far back as 2019, AC Milan and Inter Milan made public their plans to leave San Siro, with the view to building a new Stadium christened ‘the Cathedral’ as a new home ground for the fierce rivals.
The development divided opinions amongst the fans of the two teams when it was made known that the iconic San Siro would be demolished to make way for a modern facility.
However, there was a period of reprieve for aggrieved fans when it was announced that the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium would no longer be demolished, sparking joyous reactions across the football world.
That joy only lasted for a couple of years, as AC Milan and Inter Milan announced the purchase of the San Siro in early November, confirming that the venue will be demolished.
Furthermore, both clubs announced their plans to build a new Stadium as earlier stated, with a view to completing it in time for Euro 2032.
San Siro redevelopment plans
Sala has been working hard on the stadium and released his plans to the public this week after they were formally proposed to the Milanese superintendent, Emanuela Carpani. The project will see a new-look San Siro with a capacity of 75,000 – just 800 less than the current version.
The stadium would also feature commercial spaces, restaurants, bars, suites and offices, and it would help to bring AC Milan and Inter Milan forward without them having to leave their spiritual homes. Perhaps the important factor of the redevelopment is that both clubs would be able to continue playing matches at the stadium while the renovations take place.
The project will cost around €300m, and the new designs have been created by architectural studio Arco Asociati. Speaking about the proposal, Sala said:
“The most important thing is that the work can be done without closing the stadium, and this is a decisive question. understand the clubs that say that in the event of redevelopment, they would have to move to a small stadium for two years, causing inconvenience to the fans, and therefore, it would be a problem.
“It is clear that as mayor of Milan and the metropolitan city, I would do nothing to oppose the hypothesis of new stadiums in municipalities other than Milan. This doesn’t mean we can’t argue with the fact that we have to do everything we can to keep the teams in Milan.”
What do AC Milan and Inter Milan make of the proposal?
While neither club have come out and made a comment on the new proposals, reports in Italy have stated that they have both rejected the mayor's San Siro redevelopment plans. Both clubs were left unimpressed with the plans are still set on their own stadium projects after it was ruled San Siro couldn't be demolished to make way for “the cathedral”
Both clubs are planning on building stadiums outside of Milan, with AC Milan planning on moving to San Donato and Inter planning on moving to the Rozzano region. Both clubs were reportedly unhappy about not being consulted on the plans before they were presented,d and believe that the redevelopment would cost too much.