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AC Milan’s plans for a new stadium have been green-lit, after the Fondazione Fiera (Fair Foundation) approved their bid to build a new complex at the northern Italian city’s old fair grounds. The stadium will have a capacity of 48,000 and is set be completed by the 2018-2019 season, while the currently shared San Siro will be handed over to Inter Milan, who will be allowed to redevelop the venue into their own exclusive home.
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Milan were given the all-clear by the Fondazione Fiera of the city to take over the Portello area, which is right next to their Casa Milan headquarters, for the construction of their new venue. The Rossoneri won the right to develop the city-based venue ahead of construction company Vitali SpA, in a tender process that was completed on Tuesday.
The daughter of the Milan’s owner Silvio Berlusconi and joint-CEO Barbara Berlusconi was ecstatic about the news, and hailed the decision after it was announced. Speaking with reporters after the announcement, she spoke about her keenness to model the new venue on modern London stadia, while also promoting the use of public transport for supporters attending matches.
“This is the first historic step to make Milan like London," Berlusconi said to reporters.
"Today, with the decision of the Fondazione Fiera, we can officially begin the journey towards our new stadium. It is the first step, as we still need to present the entire project to the institutions for approval. This is still a historic day. Ours is foremost a cultural challenge.
“It is for Milan that we are proposing an urban stadium, to favour the development of the area that will play host to us, to make it more secure and a symbol for the city, to completely change the mentality of those who come to the stadium by providing services and entertainment that go beyond the 90 minutes of the game.”
She went on to add: “At the same time, we will work to discourage private transport and favour public transport. Milan, as such, will be like London. In fact, London also has urban stadiums that are reached via the underground system and have allowed the areas where they were constructed to be improved.
Barbara was also excited about the financial benefits of the move, claiming that it will bring in €50m to €80m per year, which will be spent on new players.
"It's also indispensable for developing the commercial power of the club. The stadium will bring from €50m to €80m per year. These are resources that can also be used to buy new players,” she said.
By taking the decision to leave the San Siro, Milan will now join Udinese and Juventus as the only Italian clubs to build a stadium since the 1990 World Cup in Italy, and will soon be joined by Roma who have also released plans for their new home.
