The mayor of Florence Nardella: “Nuovo Franchi? Very positive meeting with Barone”
On Tuscan TVthe mayor of Florence spoke to “A total goal” Dario Nardella, immediately commenting on the 1-1 achieved by Fiorentina yesterday against Inter: “I had a lot of fun and the is not negative, we drew a result at San Siro against one of the best teams in the league. I liked Duncan and Torreira very much, there could have been the victory but I would not live this match with bitterness: the level was high and in a stadium that was a bedlam, Fiorentina certainly did not disfigure ”.
How was the first meeting with the Viola management for the stadium?
“Very positive, we analyzed everything we could about the project that won the competition. It is a sober project, which enhances the history of Nervi’s work, while remaining modern. The winning studio has already built 140 stadiums around the world, including City’s. With Barone we analyzed the times, as well as agreed on the location of spaces such as the Sky boxes, services, restaurants. Furthermore, between the new and the original curves, a room will be created for organizing events and conferences. We will immediately get to work with the technicians of Fiorentina and the municipality “.
What responds to the Nervi Foundation, which claims that “the slab of the new project will crush the plant”?
“The jury that Chiara chose the project includes renowned jurors, personalities of the highest level, experts from the League and the FIGC. I trust these jurors, moreover other projects put less emphasis on the history of the stadium, maybe they were more spectacular but more difficult to insert in the landscape context “.
Is the next meeting with Fiorentina already on the agenda?
“Yes, by the end of March and early April, but we have already made many steps forward. The project is very ambitious, we are talking about an investment of 150 million euros, plus the works to be carried out outside the stadium “.
Will Fiorentina play as much as possible inside the stadium during the works?
“The project allows you to choose both choices: to make the work coexist with the team’s activity, or to use the whole stadium for the work and play the team elsewhere. Clearly the timing changes, which in the first case slows down, as well as having fewer places available. It will be Fiorentina to make the best decision, our task is to give them a high level stadium “.
When will we see the first match in the new stadium in Florence?
“We will have to finish the works by force by 2026 because otherwise we will lose all 150 million. Since these are European funds, there are also some simplifications, for example with any recourse to the TAR there would be no suspension. By 2023 we must already contract the works. It’s a race against time, but I said that the international competition was over in six months and we did it even though it was difficult ”.
Do we already know if there will be an intervention on the steps of the grandstand?
“Clearly we must not only look at the good and the bad but also at the functionality, on which there are Uefa criteria that remain the same”.
June 5, 2019: Fiorentina passed to Rocco Commisso. What has changed?
“There was great enthusiasm, now I think a relationship has developed between Commisso and the city. I also think that in these two years the patron has learned to get to know the Florentines better, who are very passionate and demanding. We have learned to overcome certain difficulties and the relationship is more solid, each the strengths of the other and we have learned to trust everyone more ”.