Marotta: ‘San Siro sale historic, Inter and AC Milan need it ready for EURO 2032’

Inter President Beppe Marotta celebrates the ‘historic’ purchase of San Siro with AC Milan, insisting the new stadium ‘must be ready for EURO 2032, even if there are still mountains to climb.’

The Champions League match with Kairat Almaty kicks off at San Siro at 20.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Olympique Marseille vs. Atalanta on the Liveblog.

However, the focus was inevitably on today’s big news, as Inter and AC Milan formally signed the sale agreement to purchase the land around San Siro from the local council.

This was a significant step in allowing the clubs to build their own new arena in what is currently the car park of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, after which they can knock down the existing stadium.

“I believe today is historic for the city of Milan, for the two Milanese clubs, and for the world of football,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.

“We took this step, and with the acquisition of San Siro, we realise that this is an icon for football. What the two clubs want is to build a stadium that represents modernity, security, comfort, and a reference point for the zone. This also means revitalising the whole neighbourhood. It will take time, but it will be in my view an extraordinary added bonus for the entire city.”

Milan President Paolo Scaroni spoke to the media today following the sale and warned that this does not mean the stadium project is entirely on track, because there are still some taking legal action and there will be obstacles in their path.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but this stadium must be ready and at our disposal for EURO 2032,” responded Marotta.

“I realise there will be mountains to climb, unfortunately Italy ahs this type of red tape, but we will not be discouraged. In fact, we thank Milan for being equally tenacious in pushing to achieve this step with Inter after many years of hard work, and I am confident we’ll get there.”

Considering the expense of buying the land and building a new stadium, does that mean Inter will continue to fund the team with player sales and not expect any extra investment from the owners?

“Clearly, the stadium is an asset that enriches the club in the long run and provides significantly larger revenue going forward in every game,” answered Marotta.

“It is also obvious that sustainability must be followed not just with the stadium, but in getting the best value out of the whole football movement. That is difficult at the moment, above all the sale of TV rights abroad, where there is a huge gap between Italy, Spain, Germany and England. We can help bridge that gap with improved stadiums, but also with a better standard of football.”