Controversial plans for Como vs Milan to take place in Australia likely to be scrapped

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 10 Dec 2025 05:41 CST
• 4 min read

Nieuws

It appears that plans for the Serie A fixture between Milan and Como to be played in Perth, Australia have been cancelled.

As part of a major money-making proposal, there were proposals to have the match played at the Optus Stadium which has a capacity of 60,000 spectators.

Fans were naturally upset at the plans, believing they took away from the integrity of the competition as it meant uneven home and away fixtures on the calendar.

There are two specific reasons that the plans have collapsed:

- Football Australia (AFC) requested their their own officials be used instead of officials from the Italian Referees’ Association (CAN).

- The AFC requested that the match not be explicitly advertised as a Serie A fixture.

These conditions proved too much of a leap for Lega Serie A and it is how highly unlikely the match will take place in Perth.

Milan will need to act fast to find a venue for the match as San Siro is unavailable due to the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

The news of the plans being scrapped comes a month after Villarreal and Barcelona's proposed La Liga fixture in Miami was cancelled.

That wasn't due to any logistical or red tape conditions, but rather the overwhelming negative response from fans, coaches, pundits and players.

Both clubs were set to receive around €6 million, though the Yellow Submarine would have been compensated for a loss in ticket revenue as it is officially their home fixture.

La Liga boss comes out swinging

La Liga president Javier Tebas, who had been championing the plans from the start, hit back at the cancellation and believes it will impact the growth of Spanish football. He wrote on X:

“Today, Spanish football has lost an opportunity to advance, project itself globally, and strengthen its future.

“The defence of ‘tradition’ is invoked from a narrow-minded and provincial perspective, while the true traditions of European football are threatened by decisions by the governing institutions, which year after year destroy national leagues, the true driving force of the European football industry, amid the naivety and passivity of European leaders who fail to distinguish the inconsequential from the essential.

“The ‘integrity of the competition’ is invoked by those who have been questioning that same integrity for years, pressuring referees and leaders, constructing distorted narratives, or using political and media pressure as a sporting tool.

“I want to thank Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona for their commitment and generosity in being part of a project that only sought the growth of our competition. They weren’t thinking about themselves, they were thinking about everyone.

“LaLiga will continue working, with rigour and conviction, to keep Spanish football competitive, standing up to those who seek to destroy it, but always respecting its roots and ensuring its sustainability.

“Spanish football deserves to look to the future with ambition, not fear. We will keep trying. This time, we came very close.”

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