San Siro sale for 197 million approved by council

 MILAN - The Milan City Council has approved the resolution on the sale of the San Siro stadium and the surrounding areas to Inter and Milan. Now the document will have to be discussed by the committees, starting on Friday, and will land in the City Council room next week.

 The sale price of the stadium and the areas neighbouring the clubs is 197 million euros, of which 73 will be paid at the same time as the contract was signed, the remaining part will be paid in instalments. But the "discount" of the Municipality was also confirmed: with regards to the removal of the current Patroclo tunnel and the reclamation works of the area, the Municipality will bear a share of the relative costs up to a maximum of 22 million euros, a little less than the 36 million initially planned.

 The novelty, however, is the "criminal shield" requested by Inter and Milan and inserted in extremis in the resolution: the clubs will in fact be able to terminate the "contract" for the sale of the San Siro stadium if "criminal investigations or proceedings that prevent the start of the work in the agreed time" should be opened on the operation or put into question the "bankability of the project."

 The detail emerges from the Meazza sale resolution approved by the council of the Palazzo Marino led by the mayor Giuseppe Sala. The request for a "criminal shield" was submitted and transposed today by the Municipality at the request of the lawyer Alberto Toffoletto of the NCTM firm.

 In an email sent to the deputy general manager of Palazzo Marino, Carmela Francesca, the lawyer asked for a "protection regime" of the buyer in the event that criminal proceedings are opened relating to some profile of the sale and development operation of the Grande Funzione Urbana San Siro."

 Even if it later proves to be "unfounded" but that it can "have the effect of blocking the work or negatively impacting the bankability of the operation." According to the resolution, which will have to pass the scrutiny of the city council, in case of investigations by the Milan Prosecutor's Office or possibly the Court of Auditors, the teams and the Municipality undertake to "meet to evaluate the solution," and to try to "safeguard the effectiveness of the contract" and to evaluate "the possibility" of reaching the "termination of the contract."

 If the investigations should prevent "the start of the work" within the "first 9 months" from the stipulation, each of the two parties may "withdraw from the contract" in the following 30 days through the "return" of the area against the "refund" of what has already been paid.

 “In the council there was a wide debate” on the resolution. This was explained by the deputy mayor of the Municipality of Milan which also has the delegation to Urban Planning, Anna Scavuzzo, at the end of the board that approved the document.

 The councillor Elena Grandi, who has the delegation to the Green Party and is part of Europa Verde, "has brought the negative opinion on the resolution, as already expressed by the Green Party - concluded Scavuzzo - Now it will be the City Council that will decide with the vote."

 The examination by the council committees of Palazzo Marino could begin as early as Friday, while it is likely that the vote will take place in the session of September 25. Scavuzzo herself recalled that the deadline for approval is September 30. The resolution will be put to the vote as it is, as it cannot be amended.

 "It is not possible to accept any amendment because it would invalidate the balance of relations. And in fact, even if there were amendments, they would not be accepted," Scavuzzo said. Different discussions about the agendas will be presented by the councillors and could receive the favourable opinion of the council.

 “Today I expressed my opposition to the resolution" on the sale of San Siro "recognising in its contents the great work done by the deputy mayor and the entire administration to improve it. However, in our electoral program it was written very clearly that San Siro was a concrete element for us and that we would always vote against, because we believe that it may have a different destiny," said council member Grandi, explaining her opposition to the project.

 "We are aware of the fact that a solution must be found. The environmental impact of that construction site, of those demolitions, will produce a quantity of dust and CO2 that we will have to manage, with damages that are not yet clear today," he added. However, there is no break with Sala or resignation in sight: "I believe that with the mayor there is an excellent relationship of trust and respect and that everyone is doing what they have to do,” concluded Grandi. “Then we'll see what happens, but I'm convinced that many good things can be done in this last year of the mandate."

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