December 23 – Plans to stage a Serie A fixture in Australia have been shelved, with Italy’s top flight confirming that AC Milan’s scheduled match against Como will no longer be played in Perth following regulatory complications involving the Asian Football Confederation. 

The match, due to take place in Western Australia in February, would have marked the first time a European domestic league game was staged outside its home continent, after La Liga’s plans to host a fixture between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami also came undone. 

Serie A said the proposal had been developed over several months and had received provisional approval from UEFA in October, alongside that separate request from La Liga. 

Despite the advanced planning, Serie A president Ezio Simonelli said a combination of financial risk and late-stage issues ultimately made the match unviable.  

“In the face of an escalation of further and unacceptable requests arrived in the last few hours by the AFC towards the Australian Federation and consequently the Government of Western Australia and the Serie A Football League, it has become impossible to play the Milan-Como match in Perth on 8 February,” Simonelli said. 

Earlier in the process, the proposal had faced challenges linked to regulatory conditions, including requirements around the use of match officials. However, Simonelli had indicated earlier this week that the fixture was still expected to go ahead before the final decision was taken. 

Como had been among the clubs supportive of the idea of playing league matches abroad, arguing that expanding into new markets could be necessary to maintain Serie A’s competitiveness. The club previously stated that “sacrifice is essential” to ensure the “survival” of the league in an era shaped by the Premier League’s financial strength. 

The plans were met with criticism from supporters’ groups. Football Supporters Europe (FSE) said “one domestic match abroad is one too many”, vocalising the commonly-held concerns around the impact of overseas fixtures on local matchgoing fans and season ticket holders. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters also weighed in, reiterating in August that there are no plans to stage English top-flight matches outside the UK. 

While the Perth fixture will not go ahead, Serie A maintained the stance that their proposal was part of a wider exploration of international opportunities and engagement, a theme increasingly unshakeable across European leagues looking to compete with the Premier League’s exposure. For now, however, the historic first European league match abroad will have to wait.  

Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1766511994labto1766511994ofdlr1766511994owedi1766511994sni@g1766511994niwe.1766511994yrrah1766511994