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The Italian club Como have released a statement on their potential Serie A match against Milan in Australia, claiming that taking games abroad is about “ensuring survival” for the league.
Uefa has reluctantly given approval for the match – a home league fixture for Milan – to take place in Perth next February. In addition, Villarreal’s La Liga match against Barcelona in December is set to take place in Miami, Florida.
The prospect of taking domestic games overseas has drawn heavy criticism, including from campaign group Football Supporters Europe. Como have said in a club statement released on Monday that “sometimes sacrifice is essential”, pointing to the financial gulf that has opened up between Serie A and the Premier League.
“We understand that this journey may demand sacrifices in convenience, comfort, and routine,” the statement read. “Yet sometimes sacrifice is essential, not for individual benefit but for the greater good, for growth, and above all, for the survival of the league itself.”
Como’s statement also pointed out that the Premier League’s latest television agreements are worth over £12bn in the current four-year cycle, while Serie A earns €900m (£781m) per year in its current domestic deal – around £3.1bn over four years.
“We must ask ourselves honestly how we can retain our best players, build competitive teams and attract the world’s elite to Serie A if we do not adapt,” the statement continued. “This is not a matter of greed. Most clubs in Italy are not profitable. It is about ensuring survival and building a future where Serie A remains competitive, respected, and globally admired.”
“Our goal is clear. We want to restore Serie A to the glory it enjoyed in the 1990s, when Italian football was the most watched, most respected and most loved league in the world. To achieve that, we must evolve, unite, and make Serie A the talk around the globe again.”
Como, who are managed by Cesc Fàbregas and currently sit eighth in Serie A, also revealed they would be inviting 50 fans to join them on the 8,500-mile journey to Australia. “Together, we will show the world what Italian football truly represents: heritage, heart, and hope for the future,” the statement said.
Uefa claimed it had been given no option but to approve the staging of the two domestic league matches overseas, citing what it claimed was uncertainty around the regulatory framework.
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Aleksander Ceferin, the Uefa president, has insisted their approval was “exceptional” and does not set a precedent. Uefa said its 55 national associations had “confirmed their commitment to engage with Uefa before submitting any future requests”.
Ceferin told the European Football Clubs General Assembly in Rome last week that taking the sport away from its local community roots risked “breaking” football. The plan still needs final approval from Fifa, whose president Gianni Infantino warned football was taking a “big risk” by playing domestic league games overseas.
Fifa is redrafting its regulations on staging domestic league games in foreign countries and is seeking legal advice over banning them. World football’s governing body would ideally like to outlaw the practice, but will be guided by legal opinion in its first review of the relevant regulations for 11 years.
