San Siro's uncertain future

We've been having this conversation for years. What, if anything, should we do with San Siro? Both AC Milan and Inter want new digs. That much we know. More importantly, they want the revenue that comes with owning a stadium. They feel they've paid enough rent as shared tenants and split enough of their matchday revenue with the municipality. San Siro has only gotten cosmetic upgrades in recent years, primarily with the goal of attracting more wealthy clientele to box seats and hospitality areas. The average match-going experience hasn't improved at all.

If you've used the toilets there, you know what I mean.

Both teams have threatened to leave San Siro all together. Milan have even purchased a plot of land in nearby San Donato, a suburb southeast of the city, with the intention of building a new stadium. The clubs discussed buying San Siro, but the cost of renovating the grand old place was too great to consider doing.

The latest proposal involved knocking down most of San Siro and turning it into a grandstand with only one side of the stadium remaining. That sounds like a hack job to me and a weak attempt to maintain the spirit of one of the few cathedrals of football left standing. No one wants to see such an iconic venue massacred like that.

So, here we are, about six years into a conversation that has yet to yield any meaningful action. The mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, doesn't want to see Milan and Inter leave the area, or else the city would lose two major economic drivers. He has an obligation to do his best to keep them there. But the clubs can't evolve without having stadiums that not only generate matchday income but have multiple uses outside of the games themselves.

Milan owner Gerry Cardinale has spoken several times about creating a U.S.-style venue with commercial properties surrounding it. Because it's not enough to fill stadiums. That only happens once a week. Clubs know they can make so much more money if they have hotels, malls, and other attractions bringing fans and tourists to the area all year long. They know football is a fickle business and that results could have a negative effect on gate revenue. Having other sources of income helps to create a more reliable financial baseline.

The problem is that nothing comes easy in Italy. Businessmen have tried and failed to launch stadium projects before. The bureaucracy in Italy is one thing. Getting permits to do even the most basic residential renovations can be painstaking and discouraging. But politics most often gets in the way. Politicians often want local governments to get a chunk of the money, because they know they have the power to torpedo any project. But they fail to realize that private investment can actually generate millions more in tax revenue and create jobs where there were none.

Worse than seeing San Siro, with its spiral staircases and industrial red steel crown, getting torn down is seeing it sit there in limbo, awaiting a death sentence that may or may not come any time soon. It's as if it's waiting for the jury to make up its mind. It's sitting there knowing it's outdated, knowing any season could be its last, without confirmation of its fate. As it sits in purgatory, it loses chances to properly say goodbye. It's already lost the 2027 Champions League final, and who knows if it'll be around long enough to see the 2032 Euros, which Italy is planning to co-host with Turkey.

All we can do is visit the old ground and take in the sights, the carnival-like atmosphere before and after games, have a panino with salamella, walk past the pop-up vendors that fill the air with that heavenly smell, and reminisce about all the great moments that took place there.

It's almost a metaphor for Italy as a whole.