Como prepares revised stadium plans for submission

Como 1907 is ready to submit revised plans for the redevelopment of Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia after responding to objections raised over its initial proposals.President Mirwan Suwarso said the club had completed the work required for a fresh submission to the city council, although he did not give a date for lodging the documents.Suwarso said: “We’ve completed all the procedures necessary to submit the revised and corrected project to the City Council, following the counterarguments that were raised. Don’t ask me when it will be submitted to the City Council; my offices will handle it. The part I supervised is complete. We’re ready.”The club presented its initial concepts with the Municipality of Como and stadium architects Populous in February 2025, setting out an ambition to modernise the lakeside venue while preserving its role in the community.The revised submission would move that process forward, but does not mean the redevelopment has received approval.Backed by Indonesian owners the Hartono brothers, Como has already undertaken improvements to its historic home, which opened in 1927.Work completed in September included a new stand, upgraded security systems and improvements to infrastructure and operational facilities to meet UEFA requirements for the club’s first Champions League campaign.Those works followed an earlier capacity increase from 7,498 to 10,584 seats for the 2024/25 season, with further expansion since then.The broader redevelopment ambitions have also generated questions about their impact on a city already managing substantial tourism demand.Suwarso addressed criticism of his use of “Disneyland” to describe the club’s wider vision, explaining that he meant developing different commercial activities around a recognisable brand.He said: “I used a term that was open to misunderstanding. Maybe they thought we wanted to create a perpetual amusement park. I could use other terms. I could say… concert event, just as a top artist manages to branch out into various directions, from the recording studio, to the album, to the concert, to merchandising.“Or the wine sector, from the vineyard to the table, to sales that become an experience with targeted trips to famous wineries. Or Ferrari, which has a whole world in Abu Dhabi that revolves around its brand.“I used the word Disney because they’ve been able to differentiate themselves greatly, perhaps more than anyone else, around a brand. That’s all there is to it.”His explanation places the stadium project within a wider strategy to develop Como’s commercial identity, rather than limiting the business to football matches.The forthcoming submission will give local authorities the opportunity to assess the amended redevelopment proposals and how they address the concerns raised during the earlier process.