Official: Plans to host Milan-Como in Perth called off ‘by mutual agreement’

Lega Serie A have announced that the proposed plans to host AC Milan vs. Como on Perth have now been called off.

On Monday afternoon, reports began to surface suggesting that the idea of hosting the first ever European league match outside of the continent had hit the rocks, and now a statement on the official league website has confirmed it.

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“Plans for Perth to host first-ever European league fixture played outside its national borders are off by mutual agreement.

• Decision comes due to football sanctioning complications and onerous conditions
• Bid has generated over $280 million in global media exposure for Western Australia
• Plans for Perth to host the first ever official European league match for points outside its national borders are off, following the mutual agreement of Lega Calcio Serie A and the Western Australian Government.

“Both parties have come to this decision due to financial risks that could not be mitigated, onerous approval conditions, and last-minute complications beyond their control.

“The proposed match would have been the first time a top-tier European league game for points was played outside its national borders, presenting a unique opportunity for Western Australia to make international football history.

“The fixture secured the approval of all 20 Lega Calcio Serie A clubs, Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC), and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

“However, the onerous conditions from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to sanction the fixture could not be implemented without financial risks to the Western Australian Government and Serie A that could not be mitigated.

“The Government and Lega Calcio Serie A exhausted every viable option to bring the historic fixture to Western Australia.”

The Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti commented as follows: “Our Government worked closely with AC Milan and Serie A, and we had every confidence this world-first event would take place in Perth.

“It’s disappointing, but it’s the right call – we were not willing to expose Western Australia to an unacceptable level of risk. This project has been 12 months in the making, and we did everything we could to get it across the line, but football politics, legal issues and bureaucracy have got in the way.

“There was no guidebook for this, this has never happened anywhere in the world before. We embarked on this project because of the huge economic payoff for our State and how it would help grow the world game in Australia.

“Importantly, no payments were made, nor has WA lost out through this process, as no agreement was reached. We know Perth has been talked about like never before across major global media outlets and European footballing circles for the past six months, which is great exposure for our State and our reputation for hosting world-class events.

“Our relationship with the Serie A and AC Milan is stronger than ever, and I want to acknowledge their professionalism and their confidence in Perth and Western Australia throughout this process.”

Lega Calcio Serie A President Ezio Simonelli also spoke, after he declared last Thursday before the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final that the game will definitely be taking place in Australia.

“Despite the fact that Lega Calcio Serie A had followed punctually and correctly the complex authorisation process, which lasted over twelve months, through the approval of the participating Clubs, the Lega Calcio Serie A Assembly, the FIGC Federal Council, the UEFA Executive Committee, the Football Australia, and had even accepted the highly questionable sporting conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), due to an escalation of further unacceptable demands made in the last few hours by the AFC to the Australian Football Federation and, consequently, to the Government of Western Australia and the Lega Calcio Serie A, it has become impossible to play the Milan-Como match in Perth on 8th February.

“While expressing disappointment at the outcome of this project, we remain firmly convinced that this conclusion is a missed opportunity in the growth of Italian football at an international level, which also deprives the many Serie A fans abroad of the dream of attending a match of their favourite team in person.”

Now, an alternative arrangement must be found for the game, though the hypothesis of playing the game at San Siro but moving the date – something that should have been considered the priority to begin with – will surely take precedent.