Concerns Raised Over Bureaucratic Delays Affecting New San Siro Stadium Project

Inter Milan’s president, Giuseppe Marotta, voiced apprehensions on Friday regarding the potential delays in the completion of the new San Siro stadium, attributed to the sluggish pace of Italian bureaucracy.

On Wednesday, Inter and AC Milan finalized their acquisition of the 99-year-old stadium and its surrounding area from the city, facilitating the Serie A clubs’ plans to demolish the existing venue and construct a new arena with a seating capacity of 71,500.

The objective is to complete the new stadium ahead of Italy’s co-hosting of the 2032 European Championship with Turkey. Marotta emphasized the importance of having the venue ready in time, stating, “It is clear that the objective is to be ready well before the start of Euro 2032 to ensure that this new stadium can be used during the European Championship.”

However, he expressed concerns about the bureaucratic challenges, saying, “We hope that all this can happen because we are faced with a typically very slow Italian bureaucracy. I hope that it can be completed by 2030.”

Marotta, speaking at the Football Business Forum in Milan, elaborated on the issue of bureaucracy, noting, “In the last 15 years, 50 stadiums have been built in Europe with an investment of around €20 billion; during that time, only three stadiums have been modernized in Italy, so we are way behind.”

He continued, “So we need to ask ourselves why. I don’t think that the main problem is the need for more money, but instead the slowness of bureaucracy here.”

Both Milan clubs are under American ownership, with Milan held by RedBird and Inter by Oaktree. Marotta commented on this foreign ownership, stating, “Just think, two of the most important clubs in Italy are foreign-owned. That means that the Italian system isn’t capable of supporting elite sport.”

The clubs have already partnered with architectural firms Foster + Partners and Manica for the stadium’s design, which will encompass a project area exceeding 3 million square feet.

The acquisition of San Siro was valued at €197 million ($226 million), and Milan president Paolo Scaroni indicated that the clubs are set to invest over €1 billion in the new stadium’s construction. It is estimated that each club could potentially earn around €180 million ($208 million) annually from the new facility, more than doubling their current revenue of approximately €80 million ($93 million) each.

This anticipated rise in revenue is expected to stem from attracting visitors on non-match days for museum visits and tours, hosting concerts and other events, and potentially selling naming rights for the new stadium.

Scaroni articulated the vision for the stadium, stating, “We want to build the best stadium in Europe because Milan is one of the capitals of football in Europe and needs and deserves to have a phenomenal infrastructure. We want a structure which to the world will be open every day.”

He added, “If you go to San Siro now, there is nobody; you will be scared to walk around San Siro simply because this is a structure which is either too full when there is a match or too empty when there’s no match. We want a place where every day something happens. There are restaurants, hotels, commercial activities, all of that. This kind of thing will be built in Milan by 2030.”