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Nieuws
- 19 Dec 2025
Controversial Serie A match in Australia set to go ahead
Martin Macdonald
- Updated: 20 Dec 2025 02:01 CST
- 6 min read
Nieuws
The controversial plan to hold the Serie A match between Milan and Como in Perth, Australia is set to go ahead despite previous doubts.
There are proposals to have the Italian top-flight fixture be 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.
Milan have been forced to try and find a venue for the fixture as San Siro will be used for the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in February.
A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that the match would likely be cancelled for two reasons:
- 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.
However, it is now set to go ahead, according to Serie A's president who has had conversations with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.
Speaking ahead of the Italian Super Cup in Riyadh, Ezio Maria Simoncelli told Mediaset:
“The match will be played in Perth on February 8 as planned. We had a cordial meeting with (Gianni) Infantino, as always.
“We had doubts about the conditions set by the AFC, which we considered impractical, especially the one stating that the referees should not be Italian.
“I spoke with Collina, who gave me ample assurances about the Asian referees, providing me with some high-calibre names. This condition was the most difficult, but we will accept it. There are other issues that we will resolve in the coming days. The referees will be Asian.”
If the game goes ahead, it will be the first time a match from a major European league will take place overseas.
The news of the plans being given the go-ahead 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.
Rabiot slams decision to play games abroad
Milan midfielder Adrien Rabiot called the decision to play these games abroad "completely mad", highlighting how footballers already play too many games and have a packed calendar.
“I was surprised when I heard that Milan will play a Serie A match against Como in Australia! It’s completely mad,” Rabiot told Le Figaro.
“These are financial agreements to give visibility to the league, so it’s over our heads. There is so much talk about fixture lists and maintaining the health of the players, but it all seems absurd. It’s crazy to travel that far for a game between two Italian teams in Australia. We just have to adapt, as always.”
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