Court rules Franchi redevelopment can continue

Italian Serie A football club Fiorentina has failed with an effort to halt the redevelopment of its home, the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Fiorentina last month said it would take action against the Municipality of Florence to suspend work on the redevelopment project, stating it was uneasy with the prospect of marking its centenary in 2026 with construction still taking place.

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.

Work has already begun at the stadium, with the club having argued that the whole process has been conducted in an unconventional manner. However, the Court of Florence has rejected its appeal against the Municipality to suspend the redevelopment and pay damages for the loss of revenue the club will suffer through playing at a reduced capacity Franchi whilst work takes place.

The judge’s order outlined that “as early as 2021, the appellant was aware of the existence of the redevelopment project, a purpose that was always reiterated in the discussions with the club and in the additional agreements, which is why the start of the works certainly cannot be considered ill-advised or unconventional, being an intent known to the parties.

“To this we must add that the Municipality of Florence had made it clear from the beginning, under penalty of loss, or rather revocation of a large part of the funding, that the works had to start and continue within specific deadlines.”

Earlier this month, it was confirmed that the Franchi will be reduced to almost half its capacity while renovation work is undertaken on the venue. Florence’s Provincial Commission for the Supervision of Public Entertainment Venues approved events to take place at the venue with a reduced capacity of 24,786.

The figure is a reduction from the Franchi’s previous capacity of 43,147, but the number has been increased from the 22,000 previously stated by Florence’s former Mayor, Dario Nardella.

The Franchi is set to be fitted with a roof and new grandstands that will bring fans closer to the pitch. The new-look stadium will have a capacity of at least 40,000. 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.

The next potential battleground between Fiorentina and the Municipality concerns the 2025-26 season. The club will not be able to play at the Franchi during this time, necessitating a temporary home.

Under a 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, a move to Padovani is yet to be agreed upon.