It has been a quiet start to life in Italy for former Celtic player Nicolas Kuhn.
Kuhn is yet to get off the mark, but it’s still early days, as Cesc Fabregas’ side, who are pushing and have invested to reach Europe, are sitting eighth in the Serie A table after six matches.
But in February, Como were pencilled in to make the trip to Milan to take on AC Milan at the San Siro.
However, that’s no longer going to happen, as Kuhn and his Como teammates will be on the other side of the world, as supporters’ worst fears are now becoming a reality.
Nicolas Kuhn’s Como set to play AC Milan in Perth
One of the biggest games and derbies in the world is the Glasgow derby, and there have been previous calls for this fixture to be played abroad.
Whilst nobody in Scotland has buckled to the pressure of going down that road yet, Como, AC Milan, Barcelona and Villarreal are set to play their league games on foreign soil this season.
UEFA has approved Barcelona to play Villarreal in Miami, United States of America, and Como vs AC Milan, in Perth, Australia.
Kuhn was involved in many huge games for Celtic, but none of them will be as controversial as this one to be played in Australia, because European football fans are completely against this idea, yet it’s now going to happen.
‘UEFA has approved LaLiga’s request to stage Villarreal vs. Barcelona in Miami. And Serie A can play AC Milan vs. Como in Perth,’ wrote journalist Ben Jacobs on social media.
‘However, UEFA say they are opposed to domestic league matches played abroad, and allowing the two games is “regrettable” and should not be seen as setting a precedent.’
What has UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said
Hopefully, nothing comes Celtic’s way and supporters in Glasgow don’t see any matches against Rangers played abroad.
But this first step, which has been approved by UEFA, isn’t a good look and should seriously worry the hard-working fans of any big European team.
The UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin, has stated that UEFA’s call to allow these matches to be played abroad as ‘regrettable’, even though he has the power to stop it.
“League matches should be played on home soil; anything else would disenfranchise loyal match-going fans and potentially introduce distortive elements in competitions,” stated Ceferin.
“Our consultation confirmed the breadth of these concerns. While it is regrettable to have to let these two games go ahead, this decision is exceptional and shall not be seen as setting a precedent.
“Our commitment is clear: to protect the integrity of national leagues and ensure that football remains anchored in its home environment”.
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