Serie A side AC Milan has released initial plans for a new 48,000 capacity stadium "with the club set to move away from the ground share with rivals Inter," according to Nicholas Gooden of the London DAILY MAIL. The club revealed earlier this week that it had made a bid for the land "in the urban area of Portello" and hopes to open the ground in '18-19. It is estimated that the project, which will involve "redevelopment of the area including a hotel, a sports college and surrounding restaurants," will cost up to £240M ($365M). The new stadium -- by architecture firm Arup, which also designed Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena and the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing -- "would be located just two-and-a-half miles from the San Siro" (DAILY MAIL, 2/4). CNN's Tom McGowan reported "better stadia is seen by Italian clubs as a way to attracting more fans"
and thereby generate "greater revenue to allow them to compete with their
European counterparts." The proposed 48,000-seater stadium will be sunk 10 meters into the
ground "so as not to overly disrupt the landscape of the area." A statement released on the club's website also claimed the stadium would
use the "latest technology and sound-proof materials" to minimize the
noise heard in the surrounding areas (CNN, 2/4). The London TELEGRAPH reported the new stadium will "be run by Milan, and it will be surrounded by a hotel, parking areas, and restaurants." Architect Emilio Faroldi said that the stadium plan was "inspired by the Emirates Stadium, plus arenas in Basel and Neuchatel, Switzerland, and Bilbao, Spain" (TELEGRAPH, 2/4).
