Ambitious plans to stage a historic Serie A match in Australia have been abruptly cancelled, dealing a significant blow to efforts to take European league football abroad.
The Ambitious Proposal That Unravelled
The groundbreaking fixture, which would have seen AC Milan take on Como in Perth on February 8, had initially secured all necessary approvals. The proposal won the backing of all 20 Serie A clubs, the Italian football federation (FIGC), UEFA, and the Western Australian Government. Organisers had even claimed the project generated an impressive $280 million (approximately £138.4 million) in global media exposure for the state.
However, the venture has now been terminated by mutual agreement. A joint statement from the FIGC and the WA Government pointed to insurmountable financial hurdles, stating: "The onerous conditions from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to sanction the fixture could not be implemented without financial risks to the Western Australian Government and Serie A that could not be mitigated."
Disappointment and Unacceptable Demands
Serie A president Ezio Simonelli expressed profound disappointment, revealing the league had endured a "complex authorisation process" over 12 months. He disclosed that officials had even accepted what they deemed "highly questionable sporting conditions" imposed by the AFC. The final decision to pull the plug came only after what Simonelli described as "further unacceptable demands."
This cancellation marks another major setback for European leagues attempting to host competitive domestic matches on foreign soil. It follows the shelving of a proposed La Liga game between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami last December.
A Missed Opportunity for Global Growth
The match would have been the first-ever European top-flight league game played outside its home continent. Instead, the fixture between Milan and Como will now proceed as scheduled in Italy.
Simonelli concluded, "While expressing disappointment at the outcome of this project, we remain firmly convinced that this conclusion is a missed opportunity in the growth of Italian football at an international level, which also deprives the many Serie A fans abroad of the dream of attending a match of their favourite team in person."
On the pitch, AC Milan have started the season strongly and currently sit just one point behind their city rivals and league leaders, Inter Milan.
