How do you know it's gonna be a generic stadium? Take Emirates or Allianz Arena. They're anything but generic.

How do you know it's gonna be a generic stadium? Take Emirates or Allianz Arena. They're anything but generic.

Well, to be quite frank, what's so special about the Allianz Arena and Emirates? We can mostly see the Allianz Arena in a pink color - for sponsor deals. It's a great stadium, but the feeling that this is one of few copies all over the world makes it less enjoyable. Emirates? Well, few years ago "Arsenalisation" was the main goal.

My point is, even the good examples you brought into this discussion are on top examples of generic stadiums. From a architectural and historical point of view, those are still incomparable with the likes of San Siro, Camp Nou or the former Olympiastadion.

Ew, I hated the Olympiastadion. I think Allianz Arena is one of the best-looking stadiums in the world. Maybe Emirates might not have a very distinct architecture, but it's still quite a fantastic stadium. And really, what's so special about San Siro compared to those two stadiums? Apart from the history, not much.

Well here are some important San Siro facts:

- the stadium was built in 1925/1926 under the lead of Milan president Piero Pirelli
- in 1939 and 1989/1990 renovations and modernization went under
- initially the stadium was the sole property of AC Milan; only after WWII did Inter start sharing the place
- prior to the WC in 1990, San Siro had a capacity of 150,000, but for safety reasons only 100,000 spectators were allowed
- built as a modern cathedral, the San Siro adapted not only modern and futuristic Italian architecture, but also traditional modes of Italian architecture, presenting a unique blend

I don't think there's anything special about the Allianz Arena. It looks nice and tidy, and the change of lights is modern. But that's about it. Knowing there are replicas over the world diminishes it's esthetic value IMO. San Siro has much more sole, and is much more uniquely connected with it's surrounding = it's home fans and club.

I don't get it? How is that profitable for them and not profitable for us at the same time?

We tried but they just don't want to sell because the current situation is too profitable for them. I like San Siro just as any Milan fan but if we want to move forward, a new arena is a step we gotta take.

This is what I don't get though, with regards to the council

If both clubs plan to move out of it what benefits will they be getting then?

Because it will be completely dried up as a cash cow for them. Wouldn't it make more sense to sell it to the clubs instead of ending up with an empty stadium which won't be garnering major and steady income anymore?

Inter doesn't plan to move out.

This is what I don't get though, with regards to the council

If both clubs plan to move out of it what benefits will they be getting then?

Because it will be completely dried up as a cash cow for them. Wouldn't it make more sense to sell it to the clubs instead of ending up with an empty stadium which won't be garnering major and steady income anymore?

Last I read before this it seemed like they were more gung-ho about it than we were.

I think with the current economic situation they will be forced to do it sooner rather than later if they wish to stay competitive.

I’m curious as to what the capacity of the new potential stadium will be. Thoughts? Personally I can’t see it being less than 60,000.

I’m curious as to what the capacity of the new potential stadium will be. Thoughts? Personally I can’t see it being less than 60,000.

Problem in Italy is, unlike England, stadiums are not reaching capacity. Juventus stadium, which seats 41K has a 92% average attendance.

A new stadium would help us in that regard, as San Siro sees an average attendance at 44.7% and 56.5% for us and inter respectively. Having 60% would only be good if we can seat more than we currently are, MUCH more.

[...] this will ultimately make it a difficult summer and the aftermath of not finishing in a European competition, even if its the EL, will be devastating.

A new owner might buy out Silvio come this summer, it all depends on how serious Lazzard's potential buyers are and how much value they see in the club.

I think Silvio should sell, he turned the club around and made history with it. Yet the fans are not happy in recent years, and missing out on European football means 60M (give or take) lost from our revenue, this will ultimately make it a difficult summer and the aftermath of not finishing in a European competition, even if its the EL, will be devastating.

Nesta: This is no my Milan

The former Rossoneri defender has blamed mismanagement for the downfall of the club but believes Italian football is suffering from a wider economic crisis

Alessandro Nesta has lamented the fact that he no longer recognises the once mighty AC Milan with whom he won two Champions League titles.

The legendary defender, who is now part of Montreal Impact's backroom staff, spent a hugely successful decade at San Siro, so he is therefore dismayed by the fact that the club is now facing up to the prospect of going without Champions League football next season.

“This is no longer my Milan,” Nesta told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “It is not the club that could spend and think big. 

"Today, the resources are not there and the field responds accordingly. For Milan and Italian football."

Nesta watched Milan crash out of this season's Champions League on Tuesday night, losing 5-1 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid.

The 37-year-old added: "It was a heavy elimination, the product of a generational change that failed because of poor choices. But the discourse is wider.

“In the golden years, the presidents failed to invest in youth. And then there was the fact that the clubs were not worried about going bust as the bank always came to the rescue. The Italian economy allowed it. 

"But now it doesn’t. And the accounts of football remain in red."

Milan have officially offered to buy part of the EXPO site in the city, with the prospect of building a new stadium:




http://football-italia.net/46445/milan-mak...po-offer-report

Milan Ultras plan protest

Milan Ultras on the Curva Sud will hold a pre-match protest against Adriano Galliani and some of their own players on Sunday.

The Rossoneri have been heavily criticised since their Champions League exit to Atletico Madrid and it seems many fans have had enough.

“As a result of yet another disappointment resulting from this troubled season, and having already mentioned a protest in December, now we have decided that we have run out of patience,” a statement on the Curva Sud website reads.

“We have identified those who, in the opinion of our fans, are the key figures who have led our Milan into this bad situation.”

One of these figures is Galliani, who they hold responsible for the club’s recent transfer activities.

“We wonder, for example, how it was possible to send away Ambrosini, who as well as being the captain was a strong voice in the dressing room,” the statement continues.

“Even more we wonder how it was possible to release Pirlo and not to grant him a three-year contract on his terms.

“Today the results of this policy are the horrible sight before us.

“Milan are 37 points off the top of the league and out of everything.”

Milan’s players will not get an easy ride either.

“We come now to the team, made ​​up of a few serious professionals but surrounded by a host of useless overpaid players.

“Their first thought is to put idiotic photos on social networks or to book a table for a lovely night at the disco.

“We wish they would follow the example of real professionals like Montolivo, Bonera, Abbiati, Kaka, De Sciglio, Abate, De Jong, Poli and Pazzini to name a few.

“We hope that the boss Seedorf takes serious action against such players as there is no longer a place for them.”

Football-Italia

Yep, saw that as well, forgot to post it.

While I can understand the ultras being upset, I'm not sure a protest will accomplish much (positive anyhow).

We'll see...

I don't get this to be honest, I would understand if it was Barcelona or RM fans protesting because they actually "own" the club.

You don't understand fans protesting?

It's a foreign concept for Greek people

You really think anything will change? "Oh, those people I do not give a **** about, are angry because their favorite team is doing bad. I should start spending money!!"

Milan, Inter and a new stadium – why the site in Rho is so expensive

They’re only eight or so years behind the rest of Europe, but at last new stadia have become all the rage in Italy. Now that clubs have had a chance to take a long look to Turin and analyse the benefits of a pristine, club-owned venue, they all want one.

Milan are no different. What started as a plan, with Inter, to simply buy San Siro and the neighbouring hippodrome from the Milan city council, has now turned into a hunt for a plot of land able to take the construction of a fresh arena.

Both Milan and Inter have identified a site in Rho, northwest of the city (it’s a separate municipality, not located in the city of Milan), where the 2015 Expo will take place. The reason it’s so popular? Because in order to host the Expo the land is being completely redeveloped – new facilities, buildings and an improved transport infrastructure mean that, in the simplest of terms, all Milan or Inter would need to do is build the stadium. The construction and compatibility of the surrounding area for new facilities – important for all sports arenas to ensure they can be used 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – will largely have been completed for them.

The problem is that this redevelopment has come at a great cost to all who are involved in putting the Expo together. La Gazzetta recently ran a piece claiming that Milan president Silvio Berlusconi wanted to look for a different territory for a new ground, as it would cost around €300m just to acquire the plot in Rho, not including stadium construction costs.

What La Gazzetta didn’t detail is why it would cost €300m, and nor did they anticipate that the land could well cost a whole lot more than that.

Arexpo SpA is the company that manages the land upon which the 2015 Expo will take place, with a role to oversee its redevelopment and ensure a sustainable post-Expo plan for the area is in place.

The company was originally controlled entirely by the Lombardy administration, but is now comprised of five shareholders, who each have a differing stake:

• Regione Lombardia – the administrators of the Lombardy region – own 34.67%
• Comune di Milano – the Milan city council – also own 34.67%
• Fondazione Fiera Milano – a trade show company that hosts various exhibitions – own 27.66%
• Provincia di Milano – the Milan province (not the city) – own 2%
• Comune di Rho – Rho city council – own 1%

Prior to the formation of Arexpo SpA, the site was owned by the Fondazione Fiera Milano (50%), Belgioiosa (a private company, who owned 30%) and the Milan and Rho city councils (the remaining 20%), although one lot belonged to the Italian Post Office, which has agreed to leave the land in return for being relocated elsewhere.
The Fondazione Fiera Milano sold part of their land for €66.4m to the Arexpo group, and then converted the rest of the land under their control into shares in the company to retain a stake in the site. The Cabassi brothers, who own Belgioiosa, sold their 30% for €49.6m.

The Milan city council then bought into Arexpo SpA , with their 34.6% stake costing €32m.

As a result of the investment, and realising they had no chance whatsoever of affording the redevelopments costs without help, the Lombardy administration reduced its stake to 34.67%.

Not only did these five stakeholders buy into ownership of the land, but they each invested varying sums of money for the purposes of redeveloping the plot for the six-month Expo. The contributions of the parties involved in running the Expo are as follows:

• €1.486b – the Italian government
• €218m – the Lombardy administration
• €218m – Milan city council
• €109m – Milan province
• €109m – the Milan chamber of commerce (a chamber of commerce is just a collection of businesses from the area)
• €260m – private investors

You can already see where La Gazzetta obtained their €300m figure from. The Milan city council have invested €250m into the project – €218m for their part in developing the land and infrastructure, plus €32m for a large stake in Arexpo SpA. That is money they will look to recoup, with the chance to make a tidy profit by selling some of their land to Milan or Inter.

To get an idea of the level of overall investment into this site, and consequently why it is a potentially valuable area, it is worth looking at some of the figures and where the money was spent. €1.235b alone was spent preparing and constructing the site for the Expo, €1.78b on transport infrastructure, and €91m on increasing the land capacity. It is a financial trade-off for the Milan clubs – the costs of this redevelopment and transport improvement are going to be passed on to whoever wants to buy a plot, but at the same time the area is ready-made for a football stadium.

Transport links to the Rho area are considerably better than the current links to San Siro, where the M1 line to Rho on Milan’s metro is often overcrowded on sell-out matchdays because Lotto is the only station serving the ground (though by 2015 the new M5 line will have a San Siro stop, right outside the stadium).
The proposed new area is further out – you have to stay on M1 and carry on to Rho, instead of alighting at Lotto – but there are also rail links to Rho Fiera Milano station, and three motorways linking Milan and other cities to the site.

The Arexpo group recognise the strength of what they own. The post-Expo plan, which had to be drawn up as part of the conditions of hosting the event, acknowledges that the infrastructure for services on the site itself is suitable for sporting use:



Unfortunately, the fact that it would not need as great a regeneration as the area surrounding San Siro, means the land is going to come at a premium for Milan or Inter, should they wish to buy it.

That said, a renovation of San Siro alone would be cheaper – and that option has caused a miniature game of cat and mouse to develop between the two.
Initially, reports suggested Inter were the ones looking to move to a new stadium, while Milan were happy to anticipate a Nerazzurri success in this quest, and therefore seemed content to attempt to buy and renovate San Siro, even though they submitted a proposal of interest for the Expo site. Roberto Maroni, president of the Lombardy region (who, remember, have invested at least €218m into the project), was quick to encourage Inter to put forward a proposal of their own in December, presumably with the intention of driving the price up, and even pinpointed the area where any stadium would be built.

But since the arrival of Erick Thohir as Inter president, the scenario appears to have switched. Ernesto Paolillo, Inter’s ex-director general, strongly implied Inter’s reticence to push on with the situation lay at the door of Thohir, claiming that he and his former club ‘lacked the courage’ to go ahead with a new stadium, that he believed Inter were going to be the ones to leave, but that now Milan have the advantage.

For his part, whenever the issue has cropped up in discussion, Thohir has been reluctant to commit either way, perhaps because he cottoned on early to the expense of the site in Rho, but primarily due to his desire to stabilise the club financially. In December last year, he was clear in saying that it was important for the club to evaluate building a new stadium versus renovating San Siro – essentially the more costly option versus the cheaper one.

In February 2014, he went a step further, explaining that a new stadium is ‘not a priority’ and that they will talk about it next year, possibly fuelled by the reports that Milan were now actively seeking to vacate San Siro.

And that sums up the position of the two clubs at the moment – one seemingly happy to wait for the other to make a move. Milan appear to have realised that Thohir is in no rush to plan a new ground, and combined with Barbara Berlusconi’s appointment to the board of directors, are making plans of their own to leave. Inter and Thohir, with an eye on what’s happening in the red half of Milan, will keep their options open for now.

Milan were the only team to submit a proposal for the Expo site by the deadline set by Arexpo. The proposal features plans for a stadium, to be built on the east side of the site, with a maximum capacity of 60,000, with additional space requested for facilities around the ground to aid the running of matchdays. Milan have also requested space for retail areas, and have expressed an interest in other areas of the site for the potential to build other sporting facilities and structures.

This is just a proposal – Arexpo do not have to accept it, and even if they do, they must come to an agreement with Milan over a price for the land.