THE ITALIAN FOOTBALL league has given the green light for AC Milan’s controversial ‘home’ Serie A game against Como to go ahead in Australia in February.
The decision comes two months after Spain’s La Liga scrapped plans to hold a Barcelona match in Miami due to “uncertainty” about the game within Spain.
“The match between Milan and Como will indeed be played on February 8 in Perth,” announced Serie A boss Ezio Simonelli.
Milan’s San Siro stadium is out of commission on that date because it is hosting the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics two days earlier.
“We had a very cordial meeting with (FIFA president Gianni) Infantino. We had doubts about the obligations imposed on us, particularly the requirement to use foreign referees, but (FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi) Collina gave us guarantees about their quality,” added Simonelli at the Italian Super Cup in Riyadh.
Advertisement
For the match to go ahead, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), to which Australia is affiliated, had demanded that it be officiated by AFC referees rather than Italians.
“We’re going to accept this condition. There are still other things to sort out,” Simonelli commented in reference to marketing issues.
This will be the first time a Serie A game has been played outside Italy.
The relocation involving a round trip of over 13,000 kilometres has come under attack from Milan’s France internationals Adrien Rabiot and Mike Maignan.
Meanwhile, Spain and Argentina will compete in the “Finalissima” international super final on March 27 in Qatar.
The match between the European and Copa America champions will take place less than three months before the kick-off of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Argentina won the previous edition of the Finalissima, beating Italy 3-0 with goals from Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria, and Paulo Dybala in June 2022 at Wembley Stadium.
Spain currently top the FIFA world rankings ahead of Argentina in second.
One of the main attractions of the match will be the meeting between Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal – the past and present of Barcelona.
The Lusail Stadium will also bring back fond memories for the Argentinians, as it is the stadium where their captain Messi lifted the World Cup trophy three years ago.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Serie A match given go ahead to take place in Australia
THE ITALIAN FOOTBALL league has given the green light for AC Milan’s controversial ‘home’ Serie A game against Como to go ahead in Australia in February.
The decision comes two months after Spain’s La Liga scrapped plans to hold a Barcelona match in Miami due to “uncertainty” about the game within Spain.
“The match between Milan and Como will indeed be played on February 8 in Perth,” announced Serie A boss Ezio Simonelli.
Milan’s San Siro stadium is out of commission on that date because it is hosting the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics two days earlier.
“We had a very cordial meeting with (FIFA president Gianni) Infantino. We had doubts about the obligations imposed on us, particularly the requirement to use foreign referees, but (FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi) Collina gave us guarantees about their quality,” added Simonelli at the Italian Super Cup in Riyadh.
For the match to go ahead, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), to which Australia is affiliated, had demanded that it be officiated by AFC referees rather than Italians.
“We’re going to accept this condition. There are still other things to sort out,” Simonelli commented in reference to marketing issues.
This will be the first time a Serie A game has been played outside Italy.
The relocation involving a round trip of over 13,000 kilometres has come under attack from Milan’s France internationals Adrien Rabiot and Mike Maignan.
Meanwhile, Spain and Argentina will compete in the “Finalissima” international super final on March 27 in Qatar.
The match between the European and Copa America champions will take place less than three months before the kick-off of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Argentina won the previous edition of the Finalissima, beating Italy 3-0 with goals from Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria, and Paulo Dybala in June 2022 at Wembley Stadium.
Spain currently top the FIFA world rankings ahead of Argentina in second.
One of the main attractions of the match will be the meeting between Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal – the past and present of Barcelona.
The Lusail Stadium will also bring back fond memories for the Argentinians, as it is the stadium where their captain Messi lifted the World Cup trophy three years ago.
– © AFP 2025
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Como Serie A Serie A-League Soccer Milan