SOCCER: Serie A clears Milan v Como Perth match after concerns resolved

The proposed Serie A match between AC Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, scheduled for February, will proceed as planned after concerns were resolved, Serie A President Ezio Simonelli said on Thursday.

Italian media reported last week that the match was in doubt after Serie A raised concerns about conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which were described as unacceptable. Simonelli had earlier said the situation was still a work in progress.

However, Simonelli confirmed that the issues have now been settled, particularly regarding the appointment of match officials, following discussions with former top Italian referee and current Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina.

“We had a number of concerns about some of the conditions that were set, which we considered impractical. For example, we were asked to use Asian Federation referees, while we have great confidence in our Italian officials,” Simonelli told Mediaset.

“Collina reassured us about the quality of the Asian referees and identified several officials who could be assigned to the match. That was the most difficult issue and the biggest obstacle, but we were able to overcome it thanks to his assurances,” he added.

The Italian Football Federation had earlier approved Serie A’s request to move the Milan-Como fixture to February 8 due to the unavailability of the San Siro stadium, which will host the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.

UEFA gave reluctant approval to the overseas Serie A match in October. The decision also covered LaLiga’s plan to stage a league match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami this month, although that fixture was later canceled following strong domestic opposition. -Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters