Why Serie A are unlikely to reconsider Milan vs Como despite pressure after La Liga cancel Miami fixture

Yesterday, La Liga confirmed that December’s fixture between Barcelona and Villarreal, originally scheduled to be held in Miami, Florida, will no longer take place there – as questions grow over Serie A’s Australian match between Milan and Como.

The cancellation followed a number of protests by clubs over the weekend and massive backlash from fans and media alike.

La Liga did their best to censor the broadcast of the club protests, where many teams stood still for the first 10-15 seconds of their matches, yet images and footage still found its way to social media.

TuttoMercatoWeb suggest that whilst there is potential for a ‘domino effect’ on the Milan-Como match, ‘it is not a given.’

The key differences in the two cases are that there are currently no plans for player protests or public action from the AIC – who are reportedly more concerned with stopping the overseas matches from becoming a regular event, rather than this specific game itself.

Additionally, TMW note that whereas La Liga were the major proponents for hosting their match in the USA, it is Milan who have been the biggest advocate for their match against Como to be held in Perth.

The reasons, the outlet note, are primarily promotional, more focused on building brand and image in the Australian market rather than the modest €8-9 million sum the fixture is expected to result in financially.