Milan-Como, no Australia: Simonelli doesn’t hide regrets
Milan-Como, a match valid for the 24th day of Serie A, scheduled for Feb. 8, 2026, will not be played in Australia. This was announced by the Lega Calcio Serie A through a statement: “Plans to host in Perth the first official match of a European league outside national borders have been canceled, following the shared agreement between the Lega Calcio Serie A and the government of Western Australia. Both sides made this decision because of financial risks that could not be contained, onerous conditions of approval and last-minute complications beyond their control”.
“The proposed match would have been the first time a top-level European championship match, valid for the awarding of points, would have been played outside national borders, representing a unique opportunity for Western Australia to write the history of international football– the note added. The proposal had been approved by all 20 clubs in the Lega Calcio Serie A, the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). However, the onerous additional conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to authorize the match could not be met without financial risk to the government of Western Australia and the Lega Calcio Serie A”.
“Despite the fact that the Lega Calcio Serie A had punctually and correctly followed the complex authorization process, which lasted several months, through the approval of the participating clubs, the Assembly of Lega Calcio Serie A, the FIGC Federal Council, the UEFA Executive Committee, the Australian Federation, and had even accepted very unpalatable sporting conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in the face of an escalation of further unacceptable demands over the last few hours by the AFC against the Australian Federation and consequently the Government of Western Australia and the Lega Calcio Serie A, it has become impossible to play the Milan-Como match in Perth next February 8” the words of Ezio Simonelli.
“In expressing regret for the denouement of this project, we continue to be firmly convinced that this conclusion is a missed opportunity in the project of growth of Italian soccer at the international level, which moreover deprives the many Serie A fans abroad of living the dream of attending a live match of their favorite team” concluded the president of Lega Calcio Serie A.
Now it remains to be seen where and when the match between the Rossoneri and the white and blue club will be played, considering that next February 8 the Giuseppe Meazza stadium will be occupied for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
