Inter director Alessandro Antonello calls the battle to get a new stadium in Milan ‘like climbing Everest’ and warns San Siro is ‘stuck in the 1980s.’
The situation around the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza has been dragging on for years and the two clubs eventually decided to go elsewhere, setting up projects for Inter to build in Rozzano and Milan in San Donato Milanese.
While the local council and WeBuild are pushing to keep them in the San Siro area with a plan to restructure the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, it is safe to say that Antonello is thoroughly unconvinced.
“In 2019 the project was presented to change the law on stadiums, but after five years, the clubs find themselves still waiting for the local council to even declare this is in the public interest,” Inter director Antonello told Calcio e Finanza.
“The San Siro project was meant to combine public and private interest to give a whole new lease of life to the San Siro area of the city.
“Instead, this is like climbing Everest, we cannot seem to see the top of the mountain, despite all the efforts that have been made.”
The Stadio Meazza was last given a major refurbishment for the 1990 World Cup, where it hosted the opening game.
“There is another issue which is that the current stadium is fuelled by a generator that pumps out CO2. We are a long way off the net zero that was requested, and if anything are still stuck in the 1980s.”
The other complaint is that both Inter and Milan want to own their stadium, even if it is a joint one, rather than rent from the local council.
“If we look at other clubs, Barcelona earn €176m, Tottenham €135m, whereas Inter barely hit €84m in the year when they reached the Champions League Final.
“How can we be competitive without a private structure? We want to get ourselves into the entertainment world without a suitable stage.
“The clubs are reflecting on how to make the stadium an environment that lives seven days a week.”
WeBuild have been given the go-ahead to draw up plans for restructuring San Siro, but that will take time.
“It all depends on what can be done, because minimal structural changes would not guarantee the level of revenue we are looking for.
“We are working on Rozzano and have no alternative, because the WeBuild proposal won’t be ready before June.”