Official: Milan vs. Como will not be played in Australia

The Serie A match between Milan and Como scheduled for February 8 will now definitely not be played in Perth, Australia despite months of talks and negotiations with the Italian and Australian FAs, UEFA and the AFC, it has been confirmed. 

The Lega Serie A has released a statement confirming that plans to play the league fixture between Milan and Como in Western Australia will not go ahead. 

It is not possible for the match to be played at Milan’s regular home in San Siro due to a clash with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, which revolves around the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. 

For that reason, the league had sought to play the game abroad. This would have been the first top-flight European match to have been played outside its national borders. 

The Lega Serie A has confirmed that they received approval from the FIGC, from all 20 Serie A clubs and from UEFA to play the match in Australia, however, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has since decided to not sanction the fixture due to “financial risks to the Western Australian Government and Serie A, which could not be mitigated.” 

The Lega Serie A claims that the Milan vs. Como match would have brought in $280m in revenues to the Western Australia region. 

It remains to be seen where the Milan vs. Como match will be played. 

What Lega Serie A says about Milan vs. Como

“Plans to host the first official match of a European Championship outside the country’s borders in Perth have been cancelled, following a shared agreement between the Serie A Football League and the Western Australian government,” a statement read. 

“Both sides made this decision because of the financial risks that could not be contained, the onerous approval conditions and last-minute complications beyond their control.

“The proposed match would be the first time that a top-level European Championship game, valid for the assignment of points, would be played outside the national borders, representing a unique opportunity for Western Australia to write the history of international football.

“The proposal had been approved by all 20 clubs of the Serie A Football League, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

“However, the additional onerous conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to authorise the match could not be met without financial risk to the Western Australian government and the Serie A Football League.

“The Government and the Serie A Football League have explored every viable option to bring the historic encounter to Western Australia.

“Analysis of Perth’s bid reveals that, since April, it has already generated over $280 million in terms of global media visibility, with the Australian city widely discussed by major international media outlets in the US, UK, Italy, Indonesia and France.

“The Cook Government remains committed to securing major international events that bring an economic return to the state, helping to diversify the economy and promote the tourism and hospitality sectors in Western Australia.

“The statement of the Sport and Recreation Minister, Rita Saffioti: ‘Our government has worked closely with AC Milan and the Serie A Football League, and we were confident that this first world event would take place in Perth. It’s disappointing, but it’s the right decision: we weren’t willing to expose Western Australia to an unacceptable level of risk.

“‘This project has been prepared for 12 months and we have done everything we can to bring it to fruition, but football politics, legal issues and bureaucracy have been an obstacle. There was no manual to follow, because it had never happened before anywhere in the world. We embarked on this project because of the enormous economic benefits it would bring to our state and the contribution it would make to the growth of world football in Australia. Importantly, no payment was made and Western Australia did not suffer any loss in this process, as no deal was finalized. We know that over the past six months, Perth has been at the centre of attention in the world’s leading media and European football circles like never before, which is great visibility for our state and our reputation for hosting world-class events.

“‘Our relationship with the Lega Calcio Serie A and AC Milan is stronger than ever and I wish to recognise their professionalism and trust in Perth and Western Australia throughout this process’.

“The comment of the President of Lega Calcio Serie A Ezio Simonelli: ‘Despite the fact that the Serie A Football League had punctually and correctly followed the complex authorization process, which lasted several months, through the approval of the participating clubs, the Serie A Football League Assembly, the FIGC Federal Council, the UEFA Executive Committee, the Australian Federation, and had even accepted very unacceptable sporting conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in the face of an escalation of further and unacceptable requests.

“‘In the last few hours by the AFC against the Australian Federation and consequently the Government of Western Australia and the Serie A Football League, it has become impossible to play the Milan – Como match in Perth on 8 February.

“‘In expressing regret for the epilogue of this project, we continue to be firmly convinced that this conclusion is a missed opportunity in the project of growth of Italian football at an international level, which also deprives the many Serie A fans abroad of living the dream of attending a match of their favorite team live’.”