The teams say they initially held back on modifying the current San Siro, but quickly concluded that the logistical issues and delays would be too much to overcome. What they have proposed instead is a 60,000 seat arena to be built next door. Once integrated, the current San Siro will collapse and make way for a public space that may include elements of its iconic towers and ramps, according to plans by Populous, the American architectural firm whose proposal was accepted.

“I think these buildings are containers, and so the old buildings have such an emotion attached to them that the idea that a part of it can remain, if it can be there as a marker of the history of this that was before, is a pretty good idea,” said Chris Lee, managing director of Populous. “You have to be careful not to try to transfer too much of that, literally, into new buildings, where it can easily tip over into the pastiche of trying to recreate a building.”

Opposition is to be expected, Lee said. In Milan, it emerged in various forms.

Milan Mayor Beppe Sala, although generally supportive of the project, has warned both clubs that the city-owned San Siro will remain until at least 2026, when it is expected to host the opening ceremony of the Games Winter Olympics.

Another group, the Si Meazza Committee, has taken a hardline approach, challenging the mere idea of ​​demolishing the San Siro, which its most prominent voices – lawyers, concert organizers and former politicians – have described as a symbol of Milan. known around the world, a stage where Diego Maradona, Bob Dylan and Beyoncé have performed. Other critics limited the ecological impact of demolishing a stadium and limited renderings which they claimed proved the job could be done for half the cost while preserving the original arena.

Some fear, however, that the die has been cast: A future without the San Siro received tacit approval from Italy’s heritage authority in 2020 when it raised no objections to the demolition of the stadium. In November, the project was declared of public utility (with certain conditions) by the municipal authorities.