A death blow has been dealt to the new San Siro collaboration between Inter and AC Milan.

AC Milan and Inter planned to build a new stadium together. The demolition of San Siro was a necessary step. The plan was to construct the new stadium close to the current one.

Built in 1926 with a capacity of 80,000, the stadium was refurbished for the 1990 World Cup. Over the years, the stadium’s quality deteriorated. Consequently, the two sides began work plans to construct a new 60,000-seat stadium by 2027.

Plans for San Siro demolition never got off ground

The two teams identified the parking lot as a suitable spot to replace the San Siro. This would allow the clubs to use the San Siro while construction went on. Then, once that finished, they could tear down the old stadium.

Local officials and certain government agencies, however, strongly opposed the idea because they saw it as a historically significant monument.

Both Inter and AC Milan looking away from San Siro now

The Regional Committee for Cultural Heritage in Lombardy, Italy, made a monumental choice. It voted to protect the iconic San Siro Stadium. Because of its ‘cultural significance’, the committee has decided not to destroy the stadium, La Gazzetta dello Sport confirms.

The committee is preventing the second level’s demolition since it will be 70 years old in 2026, making it eligible for protection under the rules protecting historic monuments and cultural symbols. The Municipality of Milan, which owns the stadium, contacted the Cultural Heritage Committee before deciding that demolishing the stadium was not possible.

This implies that both AC Milan and Inter will have to go elsewhere than the San Siro neighborhood to construct their new stadiums. Already underway, the Rossoneri have set their sights on San Donato Milanese, while the Nerazzurri have settled on a plot of land near Rozzano.

PHOTO: IMAGO / aal.photo