Roman councilor criticized Lazio's plans for the Flaminio stadium.

Lazio under criticism for new stadium project

According to The Sun: The Italian football club Lazio has received a lot of criticism regarding its plans to transform the historic Flaminio stadium into a new home. Currently, the team shares the Olympic Stadium with rivals Roma.

Lazio faces criticism over plans for Flaminio stadium Lazio plans to move to a prestigious rugby union stadium Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Lazio wants to move to the famous rugby union field that hosted Italy's national team matches from 2000 to 2011. Lazio and Roma played at Flaminio Stadium from 1989 to 1990, and now the club aims to increase its capacity to 50,000 seats.

However, Rome's city councilor Giovanni Caudo criticized the club's plans, calling them 'a joke' and 'a mistake'. He believes that the proposal ignores two critically important issues: mobility and the preservation of historical architectural monuments.

“It looks like a joke. Parking is already insufficient, and the project ignores that events at Flaminio and the Olympic Stadium may overlap,”

— he added.

Another controversial detail is the assumption that half of the fans will arrive by public transport, even though new infrastructure is only planned to be introduced by 2036, while the existing network is already overcrowded.

“One cannot speak of preservation and improvement of Flaminio if the original elements are completely lost,”

— emphasized Caudo.

“We are dealing not with local clubs but with large corporations.”

He also noted that the project requires €24 million (21 million pounds) in public funding.

“This is an insult to common sense.”

“Lazio and their fans deserve a new stadium, but not in this form. Flaminio needs realistic and responsible solutions.”

Lazio's project, costing £381.2 million, faces numerous obstacles, as it must be approved by several authorities: heritage conservation agencies, mobility and urban planning departments, the city asset office, and the Ministry of Culture.

Rome's city councilor Giovanni Caudo called Lazio's plans 'a joke' and 'a mistake' YouTube Lazio faces a significant number of difficulties YouTube

The situation with Lazio's project suggests that issues surrounding new stadiums in large cities are always accompanied by a number of difficulties. Disputes over infrastructure and heritage conservation can significantly impact the implementation of such ambitious designs, especially in historical areas where it is important to preserve the authenticity of architecture.

The context of this project is significant not only for the club but also for the city, which must maintain a balance between the development of sports infrastructure and the preservation of cultural heritage. How this case will end is currently unknown, but the discussion surrounding it will clearly continue.