Surprise with the 99-year-old San Siro stadium of two Milan football teams

VietNamNet reporters recently had the opportunity to visit the San Siro stadium (official name Stadio Giuseppe Meazza) in Milan. As many people have commented, the headquarters of the two football teams AC Milan and Inter Milan is quite old and ugly.

San Siro has a capacity of 80,018 seats, is a UEFA category 4 stadium, inaugurated in 1926. Although it has been upgraded and renovated many times (especially in 1990 for the World Cup), the basic structure still has an old design style, lacking modernity compared to newly built stadiums.

The exposed concrete structure and large spiral pillars (used as emergency stairs) make the yard look rough and unsightly compared to today's modern, elegant architecture. The outside of the yard is not covered with modern materials such as glass or steel, creating a heavy, industrial feel.

At the beginning of June, the 2024-2025 Serie A season has ended, and the stadium is almost empty in the morning. Inside, the grass field is being repaired and renovated.

According to fans, the San Siro stadium lacks modern technology, does not have a full roof, and has outdated sound and lighting systems. The spectator seats are quite old and not audience-friendly (limited viewing angles in many areas); the VIP area, toilets, and dining areas do not meet 21st century standards.

Because San Siro no longer meets international standards, both AC Milan and Inter Milan have long intended to demolish it to build a new, more modern stadium, but have not been able to do so yet.

Many fans also commented that, when placed next to newly built stadiums in Europe and even in Asia such as Lusail (Qatar), San Siro looks less attractive and backward, both in terms of architecture and viewer experience.

Construction of the stadium began in 1925 in the San Siro district of Milan. It was originally named Nuovo Stadio Calcistico San Siro, with the idea of building a stadium in the same district as the hippodrome belonging to the then AC Milan president, Piero Pirelli. The architects designed a football-only stadium, without the typical athletics track. The inauguration took place on 19 September 1926, when 35,000 spectators watched Inter beat AC Milan 6-3.

Initially, the stadium was the home and property of Milan. Eventually, in 1947, Inter, who had played at the Arena Civica in the city centre, became the tenant and the two sides shared the space.

On 3 March 1980, the stadium was named in honour of Giuseppe Meazza, a two-time World Cup winner (1934, 1938), who played for Inter and briefly for Milan in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, and served two spells as Inter coach. However, in recent years, both Inter and AC Milan fans have simply referred to the stadium as the San Siro. Pictured is the circular ticket booth, which is located outside the gates.

Milan and Internazionale announced their intention to build a new 60,000-capacity stadium in June 2019 to replace the San Siro, which was expected to cost $800 million. However, this did not happen.

The San Siro stadium is expected to be retained at least until the 2026 Winter Olympics (held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo).

It hosted three matches at the 1934 FIFA World Cup, the opening ceremony and six matches at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, three UEFA Euro 1980 matches and four Champions League finals in 1965, 1970, 2001 and 2016. The stadium will also host the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina. In September 2024, it was removed from the list of venues for the 2027 Champions League final.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bat-ngo-voi-san-van-dong-san-siro-99-tuoi-cua-hai-doi-bong-thanh-milan-2411208.html