- Proposed game was due to take place in Perth on 8th February
- Cancellation comes after LaLiga’s Miami game was also shelved
Plans to stage a Serie A clash between AC Milan and Como in Australia have been shelved amid fears over the financial risk to the organisers.
All 20 top-flight clubs, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and European soccer’s governing body Uefa had approved the plan put together by league bosses and the Western Australian Government to stage the fixture in Perth on 8th February.
But, despite claiming the initiative had already generated AUS$280 million (US$187.5 million) in global media exposure for the state, the initiative has been cancelled by mutual agreement.
A joint FIGC and WA Government statement said: ‘The fixture secured the approval of all 20 Lega Calcio Serie A clubs, Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC) and the Union of European Football Associations (Uefa).
‘However, the onerous conditions from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to sanction the fixture could not be implemented without financial risks to the Western Australian Government and Serie A that could not be mitigated.’
The game would have been the first top-flight European league fixture to be played outside its home nation after a proposed LaLiga clash between Villarreal and Barcelona, which had been due to be played in Miami on 20th December, was also cancelled.
Serie A president Ezio Simonelli insisted league bosses had complied with a “complex authorisation process” over 12 months and had even accepted “the highly questionable sporting conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation” before pulling the plug because of “further unacceptable demands”.
Simonelli added: “While expressing disappointment at the outcome of this project, we remain firmly convinced that this conclusion is a missed opportunity in the growth of Italian football at an international level, which also deprives the many Serie A fans abroad of the dream of attending a match of their favourite team in person.”
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