Milan-Como Serie A Match in Australia Cancelled Due to Unacceptable AFC Requests
The Milan-Como Serie A match originally scheduled for February 8 in Perth, Australia, has been cancelled following an escalation of unacceptable requests by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) towards the Australian federation, the Western Australia government, and Serie A. This fixture would have marked the first major European domestic league match held outside its home country.
The plan to relocate the match from San Siro arose after the stadium's unavailability due to the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony. The Italian Football Association approved the move, and UEFA had cleared it in October. However, the AFC sought to impose several conditions, including the appointment of match officials, which contributed heavily to the dispute.
By December 18, Serie A had indicated the situation was resolved, but demands from the AFC continued. Serie A president Ezio Simonelli stated that further unacceptable requests made it impossible to hold the Perth match.
This cancellation follows a similar decision by La Liga, which previously cancelled a plan to move the Villarreal-Barcelona match to Miami. Serie A had framed the Perth match as an opportunity to promote its product abroad, aligning with similar international ventures seen in sports such as cycling, the NFL, and the NBA.
