The Stadio Olimpico in Rome could serve as the home of Italy’s national football team, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) has revealed.
The stadium is the current home ground of Serie A rivals Lazio and AS Roma, although the latter is poised to relocate after last week receiving permission from the city to move forward with its plans to develop a new 52,500-capacity facility.
The news led to Lazio revealing that it, too, would like its own stadium. Should both clubs relocate it would leave the 72,000-capacity Stadio Olimpico without a regular tenant.
Italy currently plays its home matches at stadia across the country and does not have one specific ground to call its own. CONI president Giovanni Malago said he would be open to Italy moving into the Stadio Olimpico permanently.
“When Roma and Lazio aren’t there anymore a deal could be made with the federation like in England where Wembley is the national team’s stadium,” Malago said, according to the Associated Press news agency. “(At) CONI we are absolutely as happy for Lazio to have its own stadium and we would give it exactly the same endorsement – no more, no less – than we did for Roma’s stadium.”
Roma hopes to move into its new state-of-the-art ground by the 2020-21 season at the latest.
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