Longoni bashes Milan and Serie A for Australia plans and fan compensation: “Pure madness”

Andrea Longoni has weighed in on the Milan-Como decision, stating that playing it in Australia would be ‘pure madness’, while criticising the xclub for their compensation plan. 

The decision for Milan vs. Como to go ahead in Australia has angered many. Fans, journalists and even players have all made their voices heard. Adrien Rabiot even stated that the decision is ‘crazy’ and ‘truly absurd’ in what was an honest interview.

The Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo responded to the Frenchman shortly after, saying that he should have ‘respect for the money earns’. In short, it’s a topic that truly divides and it remains to be seen what the final outcome will be.

Longoni weighs in

In his latest editorial for MilanNews, the journalist Andrea Longoni weighed in on the matter, siding with Rabiot. Among other things, he also brought up the compensation Milan have reportedly opted for, which is just refunding 1/19 of the season ticket price as a voucher.

“From a sporting perspective, playing Milan-Como in Perth is pure madness. Travelling to the other side of the world is acceptable in the summer (even if coaches would prefer to avoid such tours), but playing for important league points in unusual situations is absurd.

“Temperatures, flight times, time zones, and all that this entails, risk impacting performance. In situations like these, it’s the underdog team, which isn’t Milan, that can potentially reap advantages that, on paper, it wouldn’t otherwise have.

Photos: Jonathan Moscrop + James Worsfold/Getty Images

“This also applies to the trip to Pisa, which is scheduled after the return from Australia. Rabiot speaks as a sportsman and is absolutely right. De Siervo, CEO of the Lega, in his questionable response to the Frenchman, only talks about money. Furthermore, he does so by ignoring those who put the money into the system: the fans.

“In this regard, the example of Villarreal, who will be playing Barcelona in Miami in December, is extraordinary. To apologise for the inconvenience and accommodate their fans, the Spanish club, in collaboration with La Liga, has made two proposals to its season ticket holders.

“The first: pay the travel expenses of those going to the US to see the match. The second: reimburse 30% of the season ticket cost to those who don’t attend. This is cash, not a voucher worth 1/19th of the season ticket price, to be spent on their website, as in the case of AC Milan,” he writes.