Commisso: 'Change laws on stadiums'

By Football Italia staff

Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso wrote an open letter to the fans confirming he won’t participate in public tender for the Mercafir site, urging a change of laws to help clubs build their own stadiums.

Much as with James Pallotta at Roma, Suning at Inter, Elliott Management for Milan and Claudio Lotito for Lazio, Commisso has quickly discovered the extreme red tape and confusion that surrounds the process of a new stadium in Italy.

“Dear Viola Family, from the very first day that I became the owner of ACF Fiorentina, and in the ensuing months, I participated in many public conferences in which I laid out the most critical objectives that would make our Club successful and competitive in the shortest time,” wrote the President.

“I discussed the financial limitations imposed by the UEFA Financial Fair Play rules. I also explained that a new Stadium Complex is a fundamental infrastructure investment that would bring significant benefits not only by enhancing the experience of our Viola Family on game day, but also by allowing Fiorentina to achieve the revenue levels critical to building a team that could eventually compete at the highest levels of European football.”

Plans to restructure the Stadio Artemio Franchi were rejected, while Fiorentina have now formally decided the proposed Mercafir site for a whole new arena would not allow completion by September 2023, reasonable costs or control of the project.

“It remains my strong desire that our Stadium be located in the city of Florence or at least within the greater metropolitan area,” continued Commisso.

He urged a change of the laws “to allow for more flexibility in the case of a football stadium built 90 years ago, particularly where renovation preserves the principal features of architectural significance (unfortunately, this is a problem encountered at other dilapidated sporting facilities throughout Italy that are left abandoned because it is impossible to breathe new life into them).

“As is regularly done in the United States, especially related to new sporting venue construction, Italian cities might seek to find ways to incentivise private investments that will result in new jobs and increased local taxes while stimulating economic growth and enhancing the cities’ worldwide image.

“Perhaps, someday we could find an Italy that is not only proud of its cultural heritage, but also keeps its eyes on the future by rapidly seizing on opportunities to further economic development.

“Making it easier for those like me who want to make significant long-term investments in a short period to improve conditions in cities across the nation should be the policy goal of any government that aspires to deliver its citizens a bright economic future.”

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