🏟️ The San Siro is Being Demolished

At the end of the end of last weeks newsletter I mentioned that it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to bring this content to you and work a full-time job.

It was a line I wrote at the end of the newsletter that brought an overwhelming response from many of you offering to help!

Thank you to those who reached out.

I am nervous about a lot at the moment. Upcoming videos. New format ideas and plans for 2026.

Lots more revealed next week.

Today though, we explore the demise of Italian football.

I used to love playing with Inter Milan on Pro Evolution Soccer. Shooting with Adriano or taking free kicks with Recoba felt like a in-game cheat code on PES5.

The San Siro was an added benefit, what an iconic stadium it is.

The football fan in me is a little sad that it’s going to be demolished in the near future.

AC Milan and Inter Milan have bought the stadium for €197m and confirmed plans to demolish it to build a new 71,500-seat stadium in its place.

The new ground, designed by the same designers who built Wembley will be built next door so the teams can continue to play there until completion, likely before Euro 2032.

Sadly though, it’s time. The San Siro was meant to host the 2027 Champions League final but it was stripped of its hosting position in favour of Wembley! Despite Euro 2032 being hosted in Italy and Turkey the stadium does not meet UEFA Standards and will not be eligible to host Euro 2032 matches.

It’s a sad fall from grace.

The Athletic reported something fascinating too. Despite the Stadium being on its last legs, the sale was only narrowly approved by the Milan city council by a vote of 24–20. This vote ensured that the site won’t be classified as a historic landmark, which would have prevented demolition and stalled this process for many more years.

The stadiums demolition is the perfect parallel to the decline of the Italian league.

Only 9 stadium projects have been completed in Italy over the past decade, compared with 24 in England.

Matchday revenue from the San Siro is less than a quarter of what Real Madrid now generate from the Bernabéu.

To add, average attendance in Serie A sits around 81%, compared to the Premier League’s 99%.

In UEFA’s 2024 revenue rankings, Milan and Inter were 13th and 14th with revenues of around £350m each. That is less than half of Manchester City’s reveue.

Italy used to be the pinnacle of European football. However, lack of innovation, economic inconsistency and archaic leadership has seen the league stagnate and lag far behind its European competitors.

What is somewhat romantic though, are two bitter rivals owned by two opposing private equity companies coming together with a united vision for a better stadium.

There is romance there.

You can watch my video on the importance of stadiums here:

Finally, before we leave a word from our favourite streaming service DAZN.

Some of you will remember when DAZN initially launched. They promised no Pay-Per-Views on boxing and a central home for sports globally.

It was £9.99/mth or £99/yr and at the time, you could get all Matchroom boxing cards whenever they were held.

In just a few short years things have changed. The cost has doubled to £19.99/mth. They launched PPVs on the platform at an additional cost despite vehemently promising not to AND they have flooded their broadcasts regular with gambling adverts.

Now, we have come full circle. SURJ Sports, the investment arm of the Saudi PIF invested $1bn for 10% of the company and our favourite entertainment chief Turki Alalshikh has begun to re-promise the concept of no PPVs in boxing.

Leading us to the newly launched DAZN Ultimate plan.

For £22.99 a month or $44.99 a month in the US, you can get "185 fight nights” and 12 PPVs a year guaranteed.

Hmm.

My prediction is as follows:

• The popularity of boxing in the UK will plummet behind this paywall

• PPVs will fall in quality drastically

• The economics won’t work and a PPV will appear on DAZN within 18 months!

I love the idea of DAZN but even though I pay for it, I am not yet convinced by the long-term viability.

But you will see more of this streaming service and Turki Alalshikh in the Saudi Series.

Episode 1 this week.

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