Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala has reacted angrily to comments Inter and Milan made yesterday about knocking down San Siro, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
Milan president Paolo Scaroni publicly confirmed the clubs both wanted to demolish the current stadium and build a new one on the same area of land, before retracting his comments later.
Sala did not appreciate the timing of the statement, considering both Scaroni and Inter chief executive Alessandro Antonello were in Lausanne to support Milan and Cortino d’Ampezzo’s joint bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.
San Siro belongs to the city council and it is therefore the mayor’s decision whether the clubs can proceed with their ambitious project.
Sala reminded reporters yesterday that San Siro was due to host the opening ceremony of the games, meaning the stadium cannot be touched during the next seven years.
Inter and Milan both want to get on with building the new ground much before then, though, which means a difficult and protracted set of negotiations is probably in store.
The clubs can’t force Sala to authorise the demolition of San Siro and they would also need permission to be exclusive owners of the new stadium.
Their strongest bargaining strategy might be to threaten a move elsewhere, such as Sesto San Giovanni, in an attempt to force Sala to make concessions.
Inter and Milan will submit an official planning application to the council soon and it is in everyone’s interests to reach an amicable agreement.
