Milan-Como in Australia, Adrien Rabiot goes down flat

The decision to play Milan-Como in Australia, taking advantage of the ’unavailability of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza to move a Serie A match abroad (with the placet of the placet of the UEFA), does not seem to have convinced one of the potential protagonists of the match scheduled for February, French midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who arrived in the Rossoneri in the final phase of the summer soccer market.

“For me it is crazy that it is played there – the French midfielder remarked during an’interview with ‘Le Figaro’ -. Clearly then there are economic agreements over which we footballers have no control, the fact remains that we will have to travel thousands of kilometers to go to play an Italian league match in Australia: we will have to adapt, as always”.

Milan-Como will not be the’only match of one of the major European leagues to be played outside the borders of its own country: the match between Barcelona and Villarreal will also be played far from Spain, more precisely in the United States, in Miami. UEFA, in the statement in which it made the go-ahead official, identified as the reason for its decision a regulatory gap, which it will strive to fill in the near future.

The president of the European confederation, Aleksander Ceferin, had stated on the same occasion: “Although it is regrettable to have to forgo these two matches, this decision is exceptional and should not be seen as a precedent. Our commitment is clear: to protect the integrity of national championships and to ensure that soccer remains anchored in its home environment”.