Plans to Stage AC Milan v Como Serie A Fixture in Australia Abandoned

Plans to stage a Serie A match between AC Milan and Como in Australia next month have been officially abandoned, organisers have confirmed.

Serie A and local event partners released a joint statement on Monday announcing that the proposed overseas fixture will no longer go ahead, bringing an end to what would have been a historic first for Italian domestic football.

Serie A president Ezio Simonelli revealed that the decision followed recent developments involving the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which he said had made the proposal unworkable.

According to Simonelli, the AFC issued what he described as an “escalation of further and unacceptable requests”, ultimately preventing the necessary approvals required to stage the match outside Europe.

AC Milan had been exploring alternative venues for the fixture after it was confirmed that the San Siro would be unavailable due to preparations for the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

The match, scheduled for 8 February, has yet to be relocated, and Serie A officials have not announced an alternative venue at this stage.

Had the plan gone ahead, it would have marked the first time a domestic league match from one of Europe’s top five leagues had been played outside the continent.

The proposed fixture also attracted attention due to the close proximity of the two clubs, with Milan and Como located less than an hour apart in northern Italy.

The abandonment of the plan follows a similar development elsewhere in European football. A proposal to stage a La Liga match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami later this month was scrapped in October after strong opposition from players and supporters in Spain.

Serie A has not ruled out the possibility of hosting competitive league matches abroad in the future, but the cancellation highlights the regulatory and logistical challenges such initiatives continue to face.