Allegri and Fabregas agree on Milan vs. Como in Australia: ‘Better in Italy’

Milan and Como head coaches Massimiliano Allegri and Cesc Fabregas that the Serie A match between their two sides, scheduled for February 8, would be ‘better played in Italy’, rather than in Perth, Australia. 

Earlier this month, UEFA granted permission for the Serie A match between Milan and Como to be played in Australia on a one-off basis. At the same time, the European governing body also allowed for the LaLiga match between Villarreal and Barcelona to be played in Miami, a decision that has since been cancelled. 

The reason why Milan and Como sought a new venue for their match is because the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in San Siro will be preoccupied with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on the date of their league match. 

It remains to be seen whether the game will be played in Australia. Though UEFA has given its approval, permission still needs to be granted by the Australian FA, the AFC and FIFA.

Recent reports claim that there is now mounting pressure on the AFC to block the game from being played in Australia by refusing to grant permission. 

Both Allegri and Fabregas were asked questions about the proposal to play the Milan vs. Como match in Australia during their pre-match press conferences on Thursday, following the decision to backtrack on the proposal to play the LaLiga match between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami. 

Allegri believes that it would be ‘better’ to play in Italy, but is more concerned that a decision – either way – is made as soon as possible. 

“I’ll say one thing, the important thing is that a decision is made as soon as possible, it would be better to play in Italy, but if we have to go to Perth, we will go to Perth,” Allegri said (via TMW). 

Fabregas, meanwhile, took a slightly harder stance against the proposal to play the match in Australia. 

Fabregas has previously claimed that the decision to play outside of Italy ‘doesn’t seem right to me’. 

On Thursday, he added: “I said what I said three months ago, and I will confirm it myself. I’m an employee of the club, I won’t go against our fans, nor my team, but I do have my own personal opinion. Supporters are the most important thing. Some go to Lecce, don’t sleep, use their hard-earned salaries to follow us away.”