Ciao San Siro /Italy’s heritage body won’t object to demolition
The demolition of Milan’s iconic San Siro stadium has moved a step closer with Italy’s heritage authority raising no objections to the plan.
The possibility of the body being opposed to tearing down the stadium, built in 1926, was a major obstacle to plans by AC Milan and Internazionale, who both play at the council-owned ground, to replace it with a brandnew 60,000-seater facility in the same area.
Only a small part of the original ground is left after various redevelopments but the current structure is a fine example of “brutalist” architecture. However, the opinion of the heritage authority is that the arena, officially known as Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, does not have any architectural significance to prevent demolition.
The proposed new stadium is the key element in a wider £1.1 billion plan for the San Siro district.
The clubs and the council have been in talks to try to find a compromise. Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala has repeatedly questioned plans to tear it down and plans under discussion include tearing down most of the old arena but keeping part of it as a kind of city landmark around which the clubs would build new sport facilities available to the public.
Meanwhile, it was announced yesterday that former Inter Milan coach Luigi Simoni has died at the age of 81.
Simoni, who led Inter to Uefa Cup glory in 1998, had been hospitalised since suffering a stroke last July, but was moved home in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Simoni was taken back to Pisa hospital on Thursday when his condition deteriorated.
In his only full season in charge of the club, Simoni also led Inter to secondplace in Serie A and won the Panchina d’oro award for the best coach in the league.
A statement on the official website of FC Internazionale Milano read: “This is how we remember him: with his white hair, in our dugout, while he enjoyed the magic of Ronaldo with a smile on his face, enveloped by the fans’ affection.”
Simoni also won promotion from Serie B seven times with five different teams. In total, he coached 17 clubs, including Napoli, Lazio and Genoa.
As a player, he won the Italian Cup with Napoli in 1962.