Milan-Como will not be played in Perth.
This is the major news of the past few hours, arriving directly from Riyadh on the day of the Italian Super Cup final, which will take place tonight between Napoli and Bologna.
According to the latest reports, relayed via Milannews.it, the disruption was caused by new conditions set by the AFC, which were deemed “unacceptable” by the Serie A league. The AIA also expressed concerns in recent hours about the match being officiated by referees from the Asian football confederation, despite assurances from Pierluigi Collina to President Ezio Simonelli regarding the quality of Asian referees.
Official communications may follow soon, but the news is clear: Milan-Como will not take place in Perth and will instead be rescheduled in Milan on either February 17 or 24. The scheduling will depend on the Champions League playoff slots and any potential involvement of Inter in that round.
After a long period of uncertainty, protests from fans of both clubs, widespread public criticism, and numerous reluctant approvals, the saga that has dominated Italian football in recent months is nearing its conclusion. As noted today, FIFA had not yet provided the final signatures and approvals (which were expected from the executive), but the AFC accelerated the process by imposing new conditions that prevented Serie A from moving forward with the project of exporting, for the first time in history, an Italian league match to a different continent.
