A report from La Gazzetta dello Sport claims Inter President Steven Zhang is ‘furious’ with Milan’s Gerry Cardinale over the handling of the new stadium project. The two sides had been in talks over building a new stadium between them, dubbed ‘The Cathedral’, however news emerged yesterday that the Rossoneri ownership were planning to push ahead with the new project on their own, and have already outlined a number of viable options for the new grounds.
La Gazzetta report that Zhang is very annoyed and unhappy with the way Redbird have handled the new stadium, in particular the way they’ve discussed the project in public without taking a common line.
Even before Cardinale’s arrival in the city for the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 match with Tottenham, Inter had already made it clear that they were annoyed by the Rossoneri’s conduct after they had opened up to a solo alternative, without demonstrating the cohesion that is needed at this stage.
Requests for a meeting with RedBird to define the common strategy on ‘the Cathedral’ have reportedly always been evaded, an institutional discourtesy that the Zhang family did not expect. As such, a break between the two clubs has never been as close as it is now.
The departure of the previous Milan management, the Elliott Group, with whom relations had always been good, and the arrival of RedBird, has changed everything. Even in the latest work on the Cathedral, which began in the first weeks of 2023 in the aftermath of the new demands of the Milan City Council, the partnership between the Milanese sides seems to have come to a standstill.
With Zhang unwilling to wait indefinitely for an eventual official step by the Diavolo towards separation, remaining at the San Siro is likely to remain the priority: if an agreement is not reached with the City, and RedBird eventually chooses to go it alone, Suning will make its alternative choice. Excluding that Inter will remain at the Meazza, not even in the case of major modernisation works, the Nerazzurri will also look for another area in which to build their new home.
