Milan pro Adrien Rabiot complained in an interview about Serie A games being played abroad and received a rebuke from league chairman Luigi De Siervo for doing so.
On February 8, AC Milan will play Como 1907, but the match will not take place in northern Italy, but in Perth, Australia. The reason for the relocation of the match is the Winter Olympics, which will take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo from February 6 to 22. UEFA had grudgingly approved the Italian league’s request a few days ago: “But this decision is an exception and should not be seen as a precedent,” assured UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. He described playing a league match in Perth as “totally crazy” and went on to say: “It’s crazy to travel so far to play a match between two Italian teams in Australia.”
He said he was aware that there were financial agreements in place to increase the visibility of the league, but: “All of that is beyond the control of us players,” said the 30-year-old. The midfielder considers the long flight and time difference to be “really absurd” in view of the constant discussions about the well-being of the players. In the end, as always, it is the players who have to adapt.
League boss demands more respect from Rabiot
With this clear criticism, Rabiot drew the ire of league boss Luigi De Siervo. The Italian commented on the sidelines of the European Club Association meeting in Rome: “He forgets that he gets millions of euros for doing one thing: playing soccer.” He should accept the wishes of his employer, who insisted on playing the game abroad, and show more respect. “Top players who are paid appropriately for the work they do should understand better than anyone else that this is a sacrifice that can be made,” De Siervo emphasized.
To support his argument, the Serie A boss pointed to other sports—the NBA, NFL, and Tour de France—that also move parts of their competitions abroad. In addition to the match between Milan and Como in February, the La Liga match between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona will also be played abroad in December. The Spanish clubs will face each other in Miami.
UEFA approved both relocations at the same time, but the association’s stance remained clear: “League games should be played in their own country; anything else would disadvantage loyal fans and potentially lead to distortions in competition.”
