Milan vs. Como: The Serie A match in Australia has been cancelled

The Serie A match between AC Milan and Como will no longer take place in Australia due to football sanctions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation, the Serie A club said.

UEFA had “reluctantly” agreed to hold the match last October, along with a Spanish League match between Villarreal and Barcelona, ​​which was to be held in Miami, but that match was also cancelled.

The Serie A match, which was scheduled to be played in Perth, Western Australia in February, was the first Europa League match to be played abroad.

The Italian League president said the financial risks and late complications meant it was “impossible” to hold the match.

Ezio Simonelli said: “In the face of the mounting additional and unacceptable requests received by the AFC in the last few hours towards the Australian Football Association and subsequently the Government of Western Australia and the Italian Football League, it has become impossible to play the Milan-Como match in Perth on February 8.”

Plans initially faced difficulty due to conditions set by the AFC, such as having to use Asian match referees, but Simonelli said this week that the match would go ahead.

Cuomo had previously called for matches to be played abroad, saying “sacrifice is necessary” to ensure the “survival” of Serie A amid the financial dominance of the English Premier League.

Football Supporters Europe (FSE) criticized the plans, saying that “one domestic match abroad is considered one too many”.

Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, said last August that there were no plans to play a Premier League match abroad.