"We are and will always be in favor, but speeding up doesn't mean signing blank cheques." The center-right in Cagliari is intervening in the ongoing debate over the stadium between Sports Councilor Giuseppe Macciotta and CiViCa councilor Giuseppe Farris, the opposition figure to the Zedda administration in the regional capital. In the background are the overgrown weeds, rubble, and neglect of the old Sant'Elia stadium, now a meaningless jungle, witness to epic sporting battles from the Champions League to Serie C2 (yes, even La Palma played there in the late 1980s), now reduced to a potential eyesore just steps from the sea.
Politics
Between Macciotta's pragmatism and Farris's wait-and-see attitude, a statement from the center-right stands out, reiterating its position in a unified manner: "We have always been and always will be in favor of the construction of Cagliari's new stadium," it states in a document. "It is a strategic project for the city, for Cagliari Calcio, for Sant'Elia, and for the whole of Sardinia. Therefore, no one should try to assert a different position or to turn legitimate requests for public interest protection into alleged opposition to the stadium." The goal, in fact, is precisely the opposite: "We want the administrative process to proceed quickly, without unnecessary delays, without rushing ahead, and without grey areas. A major project is protected by doing it well, not by pretending the problems don't exist."
The crux of the matter
So, the crucial point: "For this reason," the center-right councilors write, "we ask the city administration to fully clarify all economic, financial, and legal aspects of the operation, ensuring that the City does not take improper risks and that every decision is compatible with the protection of the public interest. Saying yes to the stadium does not mean renouncing the duty to monitor, verify, and demand solid guarantees. We are not the party of " no," and we do not accept that the center-right's position be reduced to individual considerations or personal interpretations. Our point is political and administrative: a new stadium is yes , quickly, but within a transparent, sustainable, and beneficial process for the city. Cagliari needs the new stadium. But it also needs an administration capable of carrying it forward seriously, without propaganda and without passing on any mistakes made today to future generations. Those in government have a duty to accelerate, not improvise."
As it is now
Since the first Zedda administration cut the unusable stands, works that were supposed to facilitate the gradual demolition of the facility, which had since been made safe, the Sant'Elia hosted another 150 matches in Serie A, Serie B, and friendlies before becoming a ruin. It's a popular destination for TikTokers, who record videos with massive views and express dismay because that same stadium hosted the national team, a World Cup group stage in 1990, and, in 1994, the Rossoblu's run to the UEFA Cup semifinals. Not to mention Riva's Cagliari matches: the football gods would be furious.
Lorenzo Piras
(5- Continued)