The future of the Stadio Partenio-Lombardi is once again at the center of political debate in Avellino, with former mayor Gianluca Festa pressing the current administration to clarify what will happen to the facility.

Festa has accused the administration of staying silent and being inefficient, describing the project as a bluff and casting doubt on the availability of regional stadium funding. Those characterizations are political statements reported by local press; the documents and reporting gathered so far do not independently establish them as conclusions.

What is established is that the Comune di Avellino has approved a planning document for a new Partenio-Lombardi stadium, while several decisive questions about money, timing, permits and safety approvals remain open.

What Festa is contesting

According to IrpiniaNews, Festa has focused his criticism on two fronts: the short-term works discussed for the existing stadium and the longer-term announcement of a new stadium.

On the existing ground, he argues that an expansion of the Curva Sud would require additional safety-related reviews and a connection stairway between the Curva Sud and the Tribuna Montevergine. In other words, he contends that capacity cannot simply be added without further technical checks and approval steps.

On the new stadium, he questions whether regional funding is actually secured, presenting the administration's announcements as unreliable. The municipal records show that financing is indeed not yet finalized, but they do not support or refute Festa's broader political judgment about intent.

What the city has actually approved

The Comune di Avellino, through Giunta resolution 118/2026, has approved a planning guidance document for a new Partenio-Lombardi stadium.

The key figures in that document are:

  • Total estimated investment: 72,736,850.49 euros
  • Planned capacity: at least 22,000 seats
  • Intended standard: UEFA Category 4, with applicable FIFA, UEFA, FIGC and Lega Serie A requirements taken as references

That approval is a planning step, not a construction contract. The resolution states that further technical and economic planning, approval, tendering and implementation steps will follow after financing is defined.

The funding question

The planned investment is intended to be covered entirely by regional funds. Both the municipal resolution and local reporting describe that financing as still being defined and finalized.

That distinction matters for readers: an approved project document with an indicative 72.7-million-euro cost is not the same as secured funding with an amount, timetable and disbursement mechanism. The actual availability, amount and timing of regional funding have not been definitively established in the material reviewed.

The interim plan: 12,000 seats

Separately from the new-stadium project, the administration has discussed an interim increase in capacity at the current stadium to 12,000 seats.

Reported details include 800 additional places in the Curva Sud and 400 in the Tribuna Terminio, with the Curva Nord remaining closed. It is not yet clear from the acquired documents whether that Curva Sud expansion will proceed before the new-stadium project or what its definitive construction schedule would be.

For supporters, the practical point is that the interim works and the new stadium are two different tracks, with different costs, permits and timelines. Progress on one does not automatically mean progress on the other.

Where private investment fits

The municipality has also left open the possibility of evaluating a proposal from D'Agostino, a name repeatedly associated with Avellino football and stadium discussions.

According to local reporting, the administration says any such proposal must contain clear rules, a defined project and clear financial figures. No proposal meeting that description has been documented in the research reviewed for this article.

What to watch next

Three issues will determine whether the new Partenio-Lombardi moves from paper to site:

First, financing. Until regional funds are formally committed, with figures and timing, the 72.7-million-euro plan remains indicative.

Second, design and permits. The final technical design, timetable, permits and safety approvals for the new stadium are still pending, and any Curva Sud changes would also need the relevant safety reviews.

Third, sequencing. The city has not yet clarified definitively how short-term capacity works relate to the long-term rebuild, including whether interim spending would be compatible with a later demolition or major reconstruction.

For now, Avellino has an approved direction — a larger, UEFA Category 4 stadium for at least 22,000 spectators in the Contrada Zoccolari area — but not yet a funded and scheduled construction path.