San Siro loses Champions League final bid

PRAGUE (AP):

THE STORIED San Siro stadium cannot host the Champions League final in 2027, UEFA decided yesterday, opening the search for a new venue.

UEFA had given extended time for the city of Milan to show the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza would be available during planned renovation work between staging ceremonies for the 2026 Winter Olympics and hosting games at the 2032 European Championship.

City authorities could not give those guarantees and the UEFA executive committee “decided not to assign the final to Milan and to reopen the bidding process to appoint a suitable venue.”

The future of San Siro since it last staged the Champions League final in 2016 has been uncertain with a long-term threat of demolition. Shared tenants AC Milan and Inter Milan have developed plans to build their own stadiums.

UEFA said it aims to pick the 2027 final venue by next June. The next two Champions League finals are being played at Bayern Munich’s stadium and the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, respectively.

The decision on San Siro comes one week after UEFA senior management visited the city and watched Milan host Liverpool in a Champions League game.

The stadium, now with a capacity of about 75,000 seats, has staged the showpiece game in European football four times: In 1965 when Inter won; Feyenoord’s title in 1970; Bayern’s victory in 2001; and Real Madrid in 2016.