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Milan, Inter's plan to demolish San Siro could be halted by Olympics

Nicolò Campo / LightRocket / Getty

One of football's most revered cathedrals could soon be no more.

The San Siro, home of Serie A sides AC Milan and Inter is set to be demolished, executives from both clubs said on Monday.

Milan president Paolo Scaroni and Inter chief executive Alessandro Antonello confirmed the news, saying that both teams will continue to play in the 80,000-seat stadium while a new one is being built next door, according to La Gazetta dello Sport.

"We will make a new San Siro together, next to the old one in the same area of land. The old man will be knocked down and in its place, there will be new buildings built," Scaroni told an assembly in Lausanne, Switzerland, ahead of the Olympic Committee's selection of a host for the 2026 games.

Milan-Cortina were awarded the Olympics, and Scaroni says the new stadium could play a role. "It would be beautiful to have the Olympics' opening ceremony in the new San Siro, but we are not certain."

Scaroni's intentions conflict with those of Milan mayor Beppe Sala, who has stressed that the stadium will play a role in the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

"The council owns San Siro," Sala said, according to Football Italia. "If Milan and Inter decide to build a stadium, I can only say two things. It’ll take time. And then, ultimately, we’re owners of the stadium.

"In the Milan-Cortina dossier, we guaranteed that in 2026, San Siro will still be open as usual. End of story," Sala added.

Renowned for the distinctive feature of spiraling stairs encased in concrete towers added for the 1990 World Cup, the San Siro was built in 1926 and immediately occupied by Milan. Rivals Inter made the move in 1947, and in 1980, the stadium was named the Giuseppe Meazza as a tribute to the Nerazzurri legend who played there between 1927 and 1940, and again during the 1946-47 campaign.

In addition to the 1990 World Cup, the San Siro has hosted a quartet of European Cup finals, in 1965, 1970, 2001, and 2016.

The new ground is expected to cost €700 million and be ready for the 2022-23 season.

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