The biggest news in the last few hours for AC Milan is the change of direction regarding the trip to Perth for the match against Como.
On Tuesday, the news broke that there have been some problems in negotiations between the relevant bodies regarding the way that the game will be conducted. More specifically, a very stringent set of demands from the Asian Football Confederation.
No to Australia
Tuttosport (via MilanNews) reported this morning that Milan-Como is getting closer to being played at San Siro, because there too many restrictions that have emerged regarding the Perth option.
Serie A are starting to want certainty, and the approval from the Asian Football Confederation sounds a lot like a ‘no’. Ezio Simonelli wants an answer and could turn to FIFA, but the Lega want an answer quickly.
It seems like a familiar scene from Villarreal vs. Barcelona , which was supposed to be played in Miami but then a U-turn was done due to logistics. Among the AFC’s conditions deemed unacceptable is the request for a local refereeing team, and a change of direction now seems almost certain.
The game is heading towards being played at San Siro after all. The timing remains to be seen: it won’t be played in early February due to the Winter Olympics, so the first available dates would be February 17 and 24, depending on whether Inter need it for the Champions League play-offs.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen above) confirm that the Asian Football Confederation approved the match in Perth, but imposed almost bizarre conditions, such as requiring the use of a referee and his assistants from the AFC, not from the Italian FA.
Meanwhile, La Repubblica (via MilanNews) speak of other strange requests. For example, the AFC did not want Serie A branding to be used, so in practice the match would have been presented as a friendly.
Some speculate that these conditions were suggested to the AFC by UEFA and FIFA, effectively designed to be rejected, because they are opposed to league matches being held abroad.
Well, thankfully. AFC wants local referees? Who is asking them? I think anyone suggesting for games to be played outside of Italy should be banned from football forever. Nobody cares that fans in Australia can’t watch AC Milan live. They can move to Milano and do it every single week. AC Milan is an Italian club that plays in Milano, Italy. Simple.
Hey, I’m pretty sure no Rossoneri fans here begged for it, but we will be grateful if it goes ahead. This is purely money talks.
That is what the officials kept repeating as the reason, of course it is money. I mean they asked that Serie A logo can’t be displayed on the match and that it can’t be marketed as a Serie A game. Good thinking by Australian FA and AFC, shot down the game before the plans even begun. Thanks
Good news if it is indeed played in Italy. This sort of an abomination of an idea should be completely outlawed in all sports.
I would ban people that suggest it. Lifetime ban from football.
😀 It certainly shouldnt be allowed so I get your gist. Do you remember AFC Wimbledon (The Crazy Gang with Vinnie Jones) an old London club that had a pretty great even if rather violent team in the 1980ies and to a lesser extent in the 90ies and 00’s that was sold then renamed MK Dons and then moved 50-100 kilometers away. Wimbledon was reopened but then had to fight its way up through the lower leagues, Think they now play in League One. After that sh1t move it was outlawed to buy clubs and move them to other cities by the english FA. Same should be done here so we avoid this bs again.
I agree. I’d just ban the people that were pushing for it to make a point. Anyone at Milan, Como, Italian FA, Serie A, whoever.
Such an idiotic proposal to begin with… Thanks for the Asian FA for crashing this du*b @$$ party. Just reschedule the d@mn game for a later date. Not a big deal.