San Siro, the transparent tunnel in the new AC Milan and Inter stadium

The tunnel is a sacred corner of the stadium, it has the see-through charm of places that are not too accessible to cameras. Upon entry, there is tension, because the players have to share a square meter in an unnatural situation: the adversaries-friends greet each other, the others provoke or, more often, look at the ground. Upon leaving, it’s relief or venting: almost always everything is fine but the fights in the tunnel are part of the stadium narrative, before and after Weah’s headbutt to Jorge Costa. With the new San Siro, everything will change.

how does the tunnel club work

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Manica and Foster + Partners, the two world-renowned architectural firms chosen by Milan and Inter to design the new San Siro, have included a transparent tunnel in the design of the stadium of the future, as in the Tottenham and Manchester City stadiums. The Tottenham Stadium, in particular, has always been a point of reference for Milan. How will it work? The tunnel that connects the changing rooms to the pitch will have a glass wall and, beyond the glass, there will be some spectators, members of the Tunnel Club. These are the fans who will have purchased a ticket (exclusive enough) for a hospitality area with restaurant or one of the exclusive suites with around ten seats located near the pitch. These spectators, immediately before the match, will be able to approach the tunnel and study the players’ expressions up close, from a perspective currently only possible on TV. Naturally, there will be no dialogue or interaction with the players but the possibility is in line with the trend of contemporary football: less and less intermediation, less and less distance between the public and the players (and coaches, and referees…). How could a child of the 80s, 90s or 2000s imagine watching Maldini or Del Piero from one meter away, just before the match?

what the new san siro will be like

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The project for the new facility is far from being completed and will occupy Manica and Foster + Partners for the next few months. Some details have arisen over the past few months. The new San Siro will have 71,500 seats on two rings, it will not be rectangular like the Meazza but will have a more oval shape, without the large red beams that characterize the current facility. It will stand on a podium, will have the classic corridors of an international facility (with restaurants and shops) and a non-retractable but fixed roof, which will not cover the pitch. The glass tunnel adds a detail and will be “never seen in Italy”. Spoiler: it’s not the first and it won’t be the last.