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The idea of playing a Serie A game between AC Milan and Como in Perth next year is now in strong doubt, it has been confirmed.
The Athletic point out in their report on the situation that the fixture would set a new precedent as the first competitive European league fixture ever held abroad, if it were to go ahead, but there are now strong doubts developing.
Back in October, UEFA gave ‘reluctant’ green lights to host Villarreal-Barcelona in Miami and Milan-Como in Australia. However, the LaLiga match was called off after protests, leaving just Serie A with the ongoing plan.
Lega Serie A need the Asian Football Confederation to approve Football Australia’s request to host the Serie A match at the Optus Stadium in Perth, given San Siro is not usable during the period the game is scheduled because of the Winter Olympics.
The AFC have given approval, but based on very strict conditions. The first is that there would be no Serie A branding, and the second is that they have the authority to appoint the match officials.
‘An incredibly complex approval process’
In a statement to The Athletic, the Western Australia Minister for Sport and Recreation – Rita Saffioti – gave some thoughts on what is quickly descending into a farce.
“A number of conditions have been placed on the sanctioning of the game, very late in the piece, conditions that we believe are extremely difficult to meet,” she said.
“This would be a world first and we’ve been working through an incredibly complex approval process. This has involved a range of football governing bodies across the world including FIFA, UEFA, AFC, Serie A and Football Australia.
“We have been engaging with each of these parties, working positively with the two Italian teams and Serie A, and we’re continuing to work through the details to reach a resolution as soon as possible.
“A number of conditions have been placed on the sanctioning of the game, very late in the piece, conditions that we believe are extremely difficult to meet. However, we are working through those with FIFA.
“We recognise this game represents an incredible opportunity to market Perth and Western Australia to a global audience, like never before.
“Our efforts to secure this world-first match have already generated hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of coverage in global media, highlighting how big this event would be for our State.”
A spokesperson for Como said: “Como’s position remains to being committed to support the league in its attempt to grow its visibility and influence outside Italy, not our self-interest. This game is just one initiative that the league has that we supported fully, but we also support all other initiatives that they may have.”
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