Everton's historic decision to keep Goodison Park and allow Everton Women to call it home has resonated with a key figure in Milan
A general view inside the Giuseppe Meazza San Siro stadium. Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images
A general view inside the Giuseppe Meazza San Siro stadium. Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images
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Everton and Goodison Park have become a focal point in a battle over the future of the iconic San Siro stadium in Milan. The city council this week approved plans to sell the famous ground, the home of both Milan and Inter.
That permission has set in motion a project that will see the site demolished with a new stadium built on the same land.
But one city leader has come up with an alternative idea - inspired partly by the approach of Everton. President of the Senate, Ignazio La Russa. wants the clubs to have a new state-of-the-art shared home but is now arguing it should be built next to the San Siro.
Citing the example of the Blues, who rather than raze the Grand Old Lady have turned it into the home of Everton Women after the men’s team moved to Hill Dickinson Stadium, La Russa believes the San Siro can be saved and repurposed for the good of the city.
In comments reported by Tuttomercatoweb, via Sports Witness, La Russa said: “All over the world, there are stadiums that are as close as 50 metres from each other.
“Everton didn’t demolish their stadium but instead designated it for women’s football and built a new one.
“In Argentina, they’re 50 metres apart, in England, there are photos - go online and find out how many stadiums are next to each other.
“The new stadium has now been authorised, and that was also my ambition and desire.
“It’s right that Inter and Milan have a modern stadium. My opposition lies in the need to demolish San Siro.”
The current plan is for the ground to make way for a new 71,500 capacity stadium after failed attempts to modernise the existing complex.
The ambition would be to complete it in time for European Championship games when Italy and Turkey co-host the tournament in 2032.
La Russa continued: “I’ve said it and I’ll repeat it: when people talk about Milan, they talk about La Scala and La Scala del Football, these are two monuments that aren’t unused: La Scala is used for opera, and San Siro could be put to a great many uses, saving the approximately €80m it will cost to demolish them, not to mention the environmental damage that will result.”
Preparations for Everton's home game with Crystal Palace, meanwhile, are not being impacted by the strong winds and heavy rain brought by Storm Amy, the club said.
Severe weather battered Liverpool on Saturday morning, leading to transport disruption across the region.
The conditions were bad enough for Everton to close access to parts of the new stadium site.
Yet while supporters will be unable to take in the Everton Way and the fan wall amid the storm, the club said the safety measures would not undermine preparations for the Blues’ Premier League match with Palace, scheduled for Sunday afternoon (2pm kick-off).