AC Milan Abandon Plans to Build New Stadium
AC Milan President Silvio Berlusconi has scrapped plans to build a new stadium, claiming he is too “in love with the San Siro” to leave the 81,277-seat stadium that has been home to the club since 1926.
Milan had secured funding for a new, state-of-the-art 48,000-seat stadium that was to be built near the club’s new training ground in the Portello district of Milan. But those plans have now been abandoned due in part to a disagreement with the company that owns the land the stadium was to be built on.
Bee Taechaubol, the Thai businessman who is set to take a 48 percent ownership stake in the club next month, is also said to prefer keeping the Rossoneri at San Siro.
The San Siro, which is also home ground to city rivals Inter Milan, is owned by the Milan city council. Most stadiums in Italy are publicly owned, the exception being Juventus.
The Turin outfit built its own stadium, which it moved into at the start of the 2011-12 season. Since then Juve has been the dominant team in Serie A, leading many to regard stadium ownership as key to the kind of financial wherewithal necessary to compete at the highest level. Earlier this month, Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani claimed that “stadium ownership is fundamental in football today.”
Nevertheless, it looks like Milan is set to remain joint tenants with Inter at the San Siro for the time being. The storied ground will also play host to the Champions League final next May.
Milan notched its second win of the season, edging Palermo 3-2 on Saturday to climb into ninth place. The Rossoneri will be back in action on Tuesday against 18th-placed Udinese.