The Italian Football League (Serie A) officially announced on Thursday a historic decision to move the AC Milan vs. Como match to Perth, Australia, making it the first official match in the competition's history to be played outside of Italy. This decision, which comes after months of debate and negotiations, represents an unprecedented step in the global marketing strategy of Italian football.
Details of the decision and agreement with FIFA
Ezio Simonelli, president of the Italian Football League, confirmed in statements to Italia Uno on the sidelines of the Italian Super Cup in Riyadh that the match will take place on February 8th. Simonelli explained that the league held intensive and positive meetings with Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, to ensure everything runs smoothly. The main obstacle concerned refereeing, as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), to which Australia belongs, stipulated that the match be officiated by its refereeing teams instead of Italian referees. The league agreed to this condition after receiving assurances from Pierluigi Collina, head of FIFA's Referees Committee, regarding the quality and standard of the referees.
Impact of the 2026 Winter Olympics
The main logistical reason for this relocation was the unavailability of Milan's historic San Siro stadium during that period. The match, part of the 24th round of the league, coincided with the final preparations for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games (Milan-Cortina 2026), scheduled to take place from February 6 to 22. Since the stadium would be the venue for this massive global event, AC Milan had to find an alternative, which opened the door to the idea of playing abroad.
Economic and marketing dimensions
This move represents a radical shift in the policies of major European leagues. While Italian football has for many years held its Super Cup matches abroad in countries like Saudi Arabia, China, the United States, and Qatar, moving a domestic league match to another country is unprecedented. The league aims to boost its brand in the Asia-Pacific region with this decision, opening up new marketing opportunities that will generate substantial revenue. This surpasses previous attempts by the Spanish La Liga to move the Barcelona-Villarreal match to Miami, which failed due to strong opposition.
Player controversy and travel challenges
Despite the marketing objectives, the decision faced criticism from some prominent players. Milan stars, such as Frenchmen Adrien Rabiot and Mike Maignan, expressed their dissatisfaction with the arduous travel, as the team will have to cover a distance exceeding 13,000 kilometers round trip at a crucial point in the season, which could affect the players' physical fitness and mental focus given the tight schedule of domestic and continental matches.
