In parallel with the summer transfer window, AC Milan is also continuing the issue of the construction of its new stadium in San Donato, a town in the Milan suburbs, with the rehabilitation of the areas that, in the plans, will be allocated to the stadium and the structures that will be connected to it, such as shops or restaurants. However, there is a popular front against the realization of this project that promises a broad battle, a subject addressed today by the Corriere della Sera today, highlighting a new threat coming from academic circles. In fact, in the last few hours, 70 professors from the Politecnico di Milano, the State and the Catholic University, led by professors Arianna Azzellino and Giorgio Vacchiano, wrote to Gianni Infantino, Aleksander Ceferin and Gabriele Gravina, respectively president of FIFA, UEFA and FIGC: “We believe that your recognition of the importance of promoting sustainability in the football sector is commendable, but we draw your attention to the problematic nature of building new infrastructure in underdeveloped areas.»
Teachers are drawing the attention of leaders to this practice which provokes “a significant increase in CO2 released into the atmosphere due to the loss of carbon absorption capacity of built-up soils”. The new AC Milan stadium would involve the transformation of about 30 hectares of land that has never been urbanized, not to mention that in the immediate vicinity of the proposed stadium site is the Chiaravalle Abbey. To compensate for the environmental loss, it would theoretically be necessary to plant 19 hectares of forest and 32,000 trees, which have been lost in 20 years due to land consumption that also includes several areas of the Parco Agricole del Sud di Milano, the important nature reserve dedicated to the protection of woods, farmland and waterways. A recent analysis conducted by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa estimated the CO2 equivalent emissions at 70 tonnes per football match.
