AC Milan’s plan to move a home game against Como in Australia is attracting a mixed reaction, to say the least
We start from a simple fact: Milan and Como have decided to play their league match in early February in Perth, Western Australia. It is a decision born out of the unavailability of San Siro, occupied by the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games.
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However, what the clubs want to do matters little, because a series of approvals are required (from the Australian FA, the Asian Confederation, FIFA, and UEFA). UEFA’s green light has always been the most delicate, because of the precedent that it would set if they say yes.
In all likelihood, the final decision will come by the end of September, so while waiting for that you could check out online sportsbooks for the latest betting odds or online casino Canada for some entertainment.
As feared, European football’s governing body have not given an official response despite discussing it during a meeting. The official press release reads:
“The Executive Committee discussed the requests from the RFEF and the FIGC to approve the playing of one domestic league match each outside their respective countries, specifically outside UEFA territory.
“The committee acknowledged that this is an important and growing issue but expressed its desire to ensure it has the views of all stakeholders before reaching a final decision. There are many issues to be resolved, and as the European governing body, UEFA has a responsibility to take all these factors into account.
“Consequently, no decision was made today, but UEFA will initiate a cycle of consultations with all European football stakeholders, including fans.”
Ezio Maria Simonelli – the president of Lega Calcio Serie A – spoke at the Trento Sports Festival about the issue, and he put forward the viewpoint that there actually isn’t much of a choice.
“There is a UEFA meeting today, I don’t know if the decision will come today . I made it clear that for us it is a necessity, rather than a whim, considering the unavailability of San Siro for the Olympics.
“The calendar is jammed and we have no alternative stadiums near Milan with the capacity of San Siro. Faced with this need, having received a proposal from Australia, we asked for the possibility. I await UEFA’s response, I am confident as always.”
Opposition
On the flip side, there are going to be a lot of unhappy Milanisti who live in Italy and support the team in every game. Franco Ordine references the talks in his latest editorial for MilanNews, and it is fair to say he was not best pleased.
“FIFA President Gianni Infantino – a well-known Inter fan – returned from Calabria for a tour of Milan, first visiting AC Milan’s headquarters (meetings with Scaroni and Furlani), then the Serie A League (meetings with Simonelli and De Siervo), and finally meeting with Inter executives. For once, he began with Milan, perhaps to avoid giving credence to his black-and-blue sympathies.
“They also discussed the AC Milan-Como deal, to be played in Australia, and we’ll find out today from the UEFA summit whether or not it will be approved, given that UEFA vice-president Gabriele Gravina, as president of the Italian Football Federation, has given his approval to the deal, which is purely financial and not technical, as Fabregas’s tirade on the subject demonstrates.
“In my opinion, too, the initiative, from a footballing perspective, is a terrible deal. It might be less of a burden because these are two teams not involved in the cups, but that trip there and back could throw their respective dressing rooms into a tailspin for days. If I were Allegri, I’d be hesitant to give my approval.”
