Italy’s top football division has officially abandoned plans to stage a league match outside the country for the first time in its history. The proposed Serie A clash between AC Milan and Como, scheduled for February in Australia, has now been scrapped due to mounting complications.
Italy Serie A’s Overseas Ambition Ends Abruptly
The match was set to be played in Perth, Italy, with Milan’s home fixture moved abroad because the San Siro will host the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on February 6. However, despite initial optimism, Serie A has confirmed that it has withdrawn from the project.
Serie A president Ezio Simonelli revealed that both the league and the Western Australian government mutually agreed to cancel the plan amid growing challenges.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕-𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆,” 𝑺𝒊𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅.
AFC Conditions and Financial Risks Prove Decisive
According to Serie A officials, the situation became increasingly complex after Asian football authorities imposed additional requirements, including the appointment of Asian match officials. These conditions, combined with operational and financial uncertainties, ultimately led to the plan’s derailment.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒄𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒖𝒎𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔, 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒆𝒅,” 𝑺𝒊𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒅.
The setback follows a similar failed attempt in Spain, where La Liga’s proposed Villarreal vs Barcelona match in Miami was cancelled in October despite reluctant approval from UEFA.
With the withdrawal now confirmed, Serie A’s landmark attempt to globalize its domestic competition has been postponed indefinitely.
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