ViolaNation gets some clarity on the Mercafir tender

It is hard to write any article without first thinking about the uncertainty that Italy is experiencing right now with the Coronavirus and those individuals who are impacted. This is a very serious time for Italy and the the rest of the world will certainly look to see how they will respond to this epi(pan)demic. Our thoughts and prayers are with our friends in Italy and China (Fiorentina fan club in China) that they remain safe and healthy.

Rocco Commisso is now back in the United States after spending more than a month in Italy. While in Firenze he spent much of his time focusing on the stadium investment he hopes to make in Firenze or a neighboring area. His options at this point seem to fall in either Firenze, Campi Bisenzio, and potential land in other Firenze suburbs (Scandicci has been rumored to be one possible area).

Fiorentina is now in a waiting period on the Mercafir property, awaiting a public tender that Firenze Mayor Dario Nardella has started. Many of our readers have had some questions on just what this process is and means, so we reached out to Fiorentina to get some clarity.

We first tried to understand a little more around how the Mercafir bidding process works. Here is what we learned.

The city of Firenze has put forth a public tender with the possibility to purchase the 15-hectare Mercafir area for €22 million for the sole purpose of constructing a sports facility. The €22 million does not include additional costs that would be incurred such as cleaning up the area and a range of taxes.

What options does Fiorentina have during this process? Is it possible Fiorentina does not participate at all?

Fiorentina has only two options - to participate or not. It is possible that Fiorentina will not make a bid. The club is assessing whether to participate in the tender, which ends on April, 7th.

Can the costs for the rights of the land be negotiated if there is no winning bidder?

No, the cost of purchasing the land cannot be negotiated. If there is no winning bidder, the Municipality could simply reduce the price of the land between 10% and 20%.

Is there a known competitor to Fiorentina for the Mercafir property?

As a public tender, anyone is entitled to take part. However, given that this is a special tender for the construction of a sports facility with specific characteristics, there doesn't seem to be another party in the city interested other than Fiorentina.

We hope this will help clear up any confusion on the process and the clubs options. ViolaNation has reached out to Campi Bisenzio Mayor Emiliano Fassi to speak with him on the prospects of bringing the stadium there. We hope to have that granted soon.

Rimanga sicuro! Forza Viola!