Bologna's New Stadium: Decisive Meeting Monday, Live Nation Among Interested Parties

Bologna and BolognaFiere will meet between Monday and Tuesday to make a final decision on the new stadium project, according to Resto del Carlino. Time is running out: the September 30 deadline for submitting the facility as a candidate for Euro32 is approaching, a condition necessary to access a government contribution estimated at around 30 million euros.

Costs and partners involved

According to the newspaper, approximately 200 million euros are already guaranteed by Bologna and BolognaFiere and would cover a stadium dedicated solely to football. To make it multifunctional, with a retractable roof and pitch capable of hosting trade fairs and concerts, an additional hundred million would be needed, which with the state contribution would come down to around 70 million.

Contacts are underway with external companies to cover this portion. One involves the music world and points to Live Nation, the international promoter that already organizes concerts at Dall'Ara. Discussions are also taking place with companies that produce and distribute energy, which could manage the facilities and supplies of the new stadium, either as sponsors or as partners in the management company, which will include BolognaFiere and Saputo.

The profitability question

Carlino points out an issue that emerged from profitability analysis: the expected return on the new stadium would be between 3 and 4 percent, below the average for the real estate sector.

For BolognaFiere and Bologna, the investment remains strategic, as it would reshape that area of the city making it more attractive for events. For Bologna it would mean a new, modern facility with contained rental costs.

The decisive meeting

Between Monday and Tuesday a decision is expected: if the companies contacted decide to join Bologna and BolognaFiere, the project will get the green light. Otherwise, costs will need to be revised or the entire operation reconsidered. The countdown, writes Carlino, shows less than six days remaining, with cautious optimism spreading among those involved.