Italian Serie A football club Fiorentina has said it will call on the Municipality of Florence to suspend work on the redevelopment of Stadio Artemio Franchi, stating it is uneasy with the prospect of marking its centenary in 2026 with construction still taking place.
The announcement was made yesterday (Tuesday) by Fiorentina’s newly installed general manager, Alessandro Ferrari, during a press conference unveiling Raffaele Palladino as the club’s new coach.
Fiorentina and the Municipality, which is driving the redevelopment of the Franchi as the stadium’s owner, have been in a variety of disputes throughout the process to secure the long-term future of the historic stadium.
Speaking yesterday, Ferrari said: “We will send an official communication to the Municipality of Florence so as not to begin work on the Franchi. It is too complex to start work without proper financial coverage.
“Today our insurance on the Franchi is only one year. We will do everything we can to limit as much as possible anything that could cause the club further damage. It is not a political disagreement, but a structural one.
“With another mayor, or another party, with other convictions but a similar proposal, we would not change our line. The thought of marking the centenary in 2026 with cranes and construction sites is something we absolutely want to drive away.”
In March, it was revealed that redevelopment work at the Franchi could be extended until 2028 in a move that would enable the club to remain at the stadium for the duration of the project.
The Franchi, which has a current capacity of 43,000, is set to be fitted with a roof and new grandstands that will bring fans closer to the pitch. The new-look stadium would have a capacity of at least 40,000.
In January, Mayor of Florence Dario Nardella confirmed that Fiorentina will play at the Franchi next season while the stadium undergoes redevelopment work, although it will be operating at a reduced capacity of 22,000.
Nardella had previously said that Fiorentina would require a temporary home for two seasons while the work is carried out. Under the timeline announced in January, the club would spend the 2025-26 season at a temporary 18,000-capacity stadium in Padovani before returning to the new-look Franchi in 2026-27.
However, Florence Senator Paolo Marcheschi in March revealed that the redevelopment project could be extended to 2028. Marcheschi said this would enable Fiorentina to remain at the stadium without needing to move to a temporary facility.
In response to Ferrari’s statement, the Municipality told La Nazione that if they receive the club’s request “they will read calmly and carefully, taking into account that the Municipality is in ordinary administration as there are elections”.
It added: “Please remember, however, that at the end of April an agreement was signed by Fiorentina which provides for the start of the works and the construction site.”
In March 2022, the Italian division of engineering and design consultancy Arup was selected to lead the revamp, securing the architectural and multidisciplinary design contract.
At the turn of the year, the Municipality awarded the contract to carry out the Franchi redevelopment to a consortium made up of the COBAR and SAC Società Appalti Costruzioni companies.
