Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 6y

AC Milan say they are committed to staying at the San Siro

AC Milan say that they are committed to the Stadio San Siro after the mayor of Milan said they were looking to leave the home they share with city rivals Inter Milan.

Mayor Giuseppe Sala told Sky Sport Italia that Milan were "thinking about [building] a new stadium, of their own," and added that while he and the city council were "giving them time to verify if there is a possibility, in the end we still have to do something" to help modernise the San Siro.

Milan released a statement on their website confirming that they have indeed looked into the possibility of building a stadium elsewhere, stating that it is in their best long-term interests, but denying that they are desperate to move out as tenants at San Siro.

"In relation to the statements released by the mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala, who stated that AC Milan has expressed the will to think about having their own stadium and that the City Council would have given the club time to consider alternative areas of the cities, estimating in two to three months the time-frame to find a summary of options, AC Milan states that the Club has never expressed the desire to leave San Siro," a club statement read.

"Although AC Milan considers important for its future to play in an owned stadium, therefore not sharing it with other teams, the decision on which can be the future sports facilities of the Milanese teams can be taken in adequate time and with full agreement of all the parties involved.

"It is for this reason that AC Milan, together with the City Council, have started a series of meetings and evaluating the areas available on the territory, taking into consideration the value of San Siro and the possible redevelopment of the stadium.

"Only at the conclusion of this path, all the parties involved will be able to express a full evaluation and eventually take decisions."

In 2015, the Rossoneri abandoned plans to build a new stadium on an area of land near the city's former trade fair site, despite winning a tender process for it.

Meanwhile, the Serie A club's former president Silvio Berlusconi has spoken of his disgust at the way his former club is being run, and not just off the field.

On Monday, he ruled out buying Milan back due to their well-publicised financial problems, but his biggest gripe appears to be with the brand of football currently being played by the Rossoneri.

"I always have Milan in my heart and I've got to say that when I see Milan playing like this, with a style of play which is mindless and wrong, I really suffer from stomach ache," he told Radio Capital, adding that he can nevertheless have no regrets about selling up last April.

"It was no longer possible in football, let's say with the dollars arriving from oil, for a family to support the necessary expenditure to keep a team at the zenith of European and world football. So it was a necessary, inevitable decision."

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