Getty Image
The San Siro in Milan is one of soccer‘s most legendary stadiums.
But soon it will be no longer.
The stadium, officially called the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza after one of Italy’s most famous players, opened in 1926 and has played host to legendary club AC Milan for nearly a century.
Rivals and fellow tenants Inter Milan have called the San Siro home since 1947.
Now, however, its day are numbered after both AC Milan and Inter Milan agreed to leave the ground.
The moves come after Italian officials blocked the demolition of San Siro so that the teams could build a shared new “Cathedral” in its place.
They’ll now both seek individual new stadiums in the area.
AC Milan And Inter Ditch The Legendary San Siro
“The project of building a new San Siro next to it couldn’t be made because you cannot demolish San Siro, and you can’t even renovate it,” AC Milan co-owner Riccardo Silva told Front Office Sports. “So AC Milan has found a new area just outside the city of Milan, and Inter is doing the same,” he added. “The San Siro story will always remain in AC Milan and Inter’s history; at the same time, there will be a new stadium, more modern and better for the fans. It will take time—probably four or five years—but this is the direction that’s been taken.”
Silva says that the division is best for both clubs.
“Having two different stadiums makes more sense from a main point of view, of course from a business point of view it’s the best choice. And both AC Milan and Inter agreed on that,” he told the site. “Both clubs will have stadiums privately owned.”
It’s a sad day nonetheless for the soccer world.
The San Siro is the soccer equivalent to Madison Square Garden or the Rose Bowl.
For it to no longer host club soccer at the highest level is nothing short of a tragedy.