Hopes Of Serie A Clash Down-Under Dashed! 'AC Milan Vs Como At Perth' Scrapped Due To...

The planned Serie A match between AC Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, has been cancelled due to sanctions and conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation, as announced by both the league and the Western Australian government on Monday.

The match was intended to be the first major European domestic league fixture to be played outside its home country, but, was called off due to financial risks and last-minute complications.

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Serie A president Ezio Simonelli stated that “an escalation of further and unacceptable requests” from the AFC towards the Australian Federation, the Government of Western Australia, and Serie A made it impossible to hold the Milan –

Como match in Perth on 8 February.

The Italian FA had approved Serie A’s request to move February’s fixture due to the unavailability of the San Siro, which will host the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. UEFA gave reluctant clearance for the match in October.

Serie A saw the game in Australia as an opportunity to promote its product abroad, drawing inspiration from other sports like cycling, the NFL, and the NBA.

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Problems arose when the AFC imposed conditions, including taking responsibility for appointing match officials, although Serie A had announced on December 18 that the situation had been resolved.

This cancellation comes two months after LaLiga called off plans to play a league match between Barcelona and Villareal in Miami following criticism and opposition within Spain.

(With Inputs From Agencies)