San Siro rejig offer ball in Inter-Milan court

Image: San Siro Stadium (Facebook)

The Italian construction company WeBuild have presented their plans to the Serie A teams AC Milan and Inter Milan for renovating their home ground – the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.

‘yahoo!sports’ stated that it is expected that the top-flights will make a decision on the above in the next few days.

Rome (Italy)-based the WeBuild SpA is an Italian industrial group specializing in construction and civil engineering. The company was formally founded in 2014. Webuild is a global leader in the design and construction of large, complex projects in the sectors of sustainable mobility, hydropower, water management and production, and Green buildings.

The AC Milan is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy (Italy). Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tier of Italian football, and has spent its entire history there with the exception of the 1980-1981 and 1982-1983 seasons.

Inter, and colloquially known as Inter-Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy (Italy). Inter is the only Italian side to have always competed in the top flight of Italian football since its debut in 1909.

The 80,018-capacity San Siro Stadium serves as the residence of the AC Milan and Inter Milan and is one of the largest stadiums in Europe and the largest in Italy.

In May this year a ruling was passed that the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, cannot be demolished. The ruling handed down by TAR (regional administrative court of law) of Lombardy on May 7^th, which declared inadmissible the appeal filed by the Municipality of Milan against the cultural constraint imposed by the Superintendency on the second ring of the Milanese facility.

The above constraint has not yet come into force, but it will take effect in 2025, upon the completion of the 70 years of the second ring, translating into the fact that the San Siro Stadium cannot be demolished.

Though both AC Milan and Inter Milan were in favor of totally demolishing the San Siro, but now that the die has been cast – their home digs cannot be pulled down – they have decided to go ahead with their own standalone facilities.

The AC Milan plans to build a new 70,000-seat stadium in San Donato Milanese, a suburb in the Southeastern part of Milan, Italy. And the Inter Milan has received a significant boost in their attempts to build their own stadium in Rozzano in Milan. The ‘Nerazzurri’ have launched a plan to build their ground in the nearby region of Rozzano, a commune in the Metropolitan City of Milan.

Recently, representatives from the architectural firm WeBuild met with Inter, Milan and the Milan Mayor Beppe Sala.

‘yahoo!sports’ further stated that the firm presented their plans to renovate the San Siro to modernize the stadium.

The most significant aspect of construction concerns the first tier of seating at the San Siro. WeBuild propose to completely demolish the tier, replacing it with a new first tier.

This tier would include more sky boxes. That would allow for more high-priced hospitality seating.

WeBuild’s plan would increase the number of premium seats from 2,900 to 13,000. This would allow Inter and Milan to increase their matchday revenues from the stadium.

It is not just the reconstruction of the first tier of the San Siro that WeBuild are proposing, though.

The firm are also proposing to remove the illuminated board overlooking Via Piccolomini (The Illusion Street) in order to make room for more seating.

This would be to make up for the loss of capacity as a result of changes to the first tier. The plan is to retain a capacity of 72-74,000 at the iconic stadium.

Meanwhile, WeBuild also plan to remove the third tier of the stadium.

There would then also be the construction of a 9,000 square meter walkway in front of gates eight, nine and 10 of the stadium.

This would be to connect the stadium to a club museum. There would also be the possibility of building more commercial developments.

The two clubs could have the opportunity to further boost revenue with the addition of bars, restaurants, shops, and offices.

The WeBuild have proposed to bring in an Australian construction company specializing in stadium redevelopment.

The firm are hoping to assuage Inter and Milan’s concerns about whether construction would disrupt their playing schedule.

WeBuild aim to convince the clubs that almost all construction would be carried out between the months of May and September.

That way, there would be minimal disruption. Inter and Milan could continue to play at the San Siro during the regular season.

And WeBuild are also promising to complete construction within three years.

Now, the ball is in the court of the ‘Nerazzurri’ and the ‘Rossoneri’. The two clubs are also keeping their alternative venue plans open. The former in Rozzano and the latter in San Donato.

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