Roma Stadium, Friedkin-Gualtieri meeting: investment rises to almost 1 billion

In this case the means - the arrival of Ryan Friedkin at the Campidoglio - is really the message: the strong signal of the ownership's commitment to the new Roma stadium project at Pietralata and to the club's future. This morning the vice-president of As Roma and the managing director Lina Souloukou met with the mayor Roberto Gualtieri (accompanied by the councillor for Urban Planning, Maurizio Veloccia and the general director of Roma Capitale, Paolo Aielli) and unveiled the rendering of the arena.

A symbolic step, also to reassure sceptics. At the summit, crucial knots were tackled, including the progress of the work, the support requested from the municipality for access to the necessary areas, and the definition of the calendar of upcoming events. The objective: to map out the road, which, however, promises to be long and complicated.

"We are very happy and determined to build a beautiful stadium. A message to the fans? Forza Roma,' Friedkin said at the end of the meeting. Which, the club had underlined a few hours earlier, 'marks a significant step in the construction of a facility that will not only be the most innovative and visionary in Europe, but will also represent a symbol of our commitment to the team, the fans and the city, also in view of the important anniversary in 2027'.

'We are happy, it is a beautiful project, there was a choice to work for a higher quality and the investment has gone up a lot,' Gualtieri commented. Compared to the approximately 600 million initially budgeted (528.39 million investment, of which 360.32 million for works and safety, 128 for available funds and 40 for concessionary charges), the Friedkin's bet rises to approximately one billion. "It is proposed as a top category stadium, it will be one of the most beautiful in the world," added Gualtieri. "It has some features that will make sports fans happy, starting with the largest south curve in existence, both in terms of numbers and for a bowl-like inclination that has impressed us greatly. For the mayor, this is a unique project, designed "integrated with the monumental characteristics of Rome, its heritage, its history", inspired by sustainability and "connected to a redevelopment of the area with important green areas". Subsequent technical tables will examine all aspects in depth and 'a work schedule' has been agreed.

Time is not a secondary factor. It was in February 2023 that the Giunta gave the green light to the resolution recognising the project as being in the 'public interest', and last January that the report on the results of the public debate presented by Nomisma, which formalised the requests and recommendations regarding the preliminary project presented by As Roma, was given the green light. Recommendations on technical-administrative, procedural and management aspects; environmental issues (visual impact, local microclimate, soil consumption, natural habitat and ecosystem value, acoustic impact, energy criticality, light pollution, heat islands, fine particles and waste disposal), mobility and accessibility (with specific attention to be paid to bicycle and pedestrian mobility, connection with neighbouring neighbourhoods, with particular reference to Via dei Monti Tiburtini) and project characteristics. This was the last formal step, together with the authorisations to start soundings on the Pietralata areas, while waiting for the crucial one: the delivery of the final project accompanied by a sworn economic-financial plan to be approved by the Capitoline assembly, which will also be responsible for indicating the mayor's representative at the services conference to be opened by the Lazio Region.