Are Como Really Locking Out Their Own Fans?
Inside the controversial new policy that sparked a rift between the club and their supporters.
Hello and welcome to the Friday edition of Goalazzo! Stadiums have been the talk of the town in Italy this week, but for once that has nothing to do with delays in renovating venues ahead of Euro 2032.
Como have introduced some stringent measures to ensure season tickets don’t fall into the wrong hands, while a trio of Serie C clubs will be playing home games between 60 and 90 miles away from their grounds this season.
And speaking of the third tier, you will never guess who is back in Perugia.
On the way today:
Como’s controversial policy
Home away from home
Guess who’s back in town?
Are Como Banning Season Ticket Holders?
Over the past seven seasons, Como have turned from Serie D also-rans into one of the brightest realities of Italian football.
Since being bought by the Hartono Brothers, Indonesia’s wealthiest family, the Lariani’s rise has been meteoric and last season they qualified for the Champions League for the first time in history.
The club have since been busy redeveloping the Stadio Sinigaglia to bring it up to speed with UEFA requirements in time for the beginning of the league phase of the Champions League.
But excitement for big European nights on the Lake was slightly deflated last week, when the club introduced a new set of rules aimed at improving the atmosphere at the Sinigaglia.
The most controversial point suggested that season ticket holders could be banned if they failed to attend four home games per season.
Manchester United have a similar draconian policy in place, with fans liable to have their season tickets revoked if they or designated friends do not attend 16 out of 19 Premier League home matches.
Como’s announcement was met with widespread criticism on social media and local paper La Provincia reported being inundated by calls from concerned fans.
On Monday, however, Como president Mirwan Suwarso clarified the club’s stance following the “misunderstandings” surrounding the proposed new rules.
“Failing to attend the minimum number of matches does not mean your season ticket will be taken away during the season,” he wrote in a lengthy statement on Instagram.
“It simply means that you will lose the right to renew your season ticket for the following season.
“The same principle applies to the other rules. If we find that your assigned seat is regularly being used by non-Como supporters, you will lose the right to renew your season ticket for the following season.”
The other rules Suwarso referenced involve banning fans from wearing the another team’s colours anywhere in the stadium except the away end.
“Season tickets are intended for Como supporters,” he continued.
“Why would you become a Como season ticket holder, only to give your seat to a supporter of the opposing team, when there are so many Como fans who would love to be at the stadium but are unable to get tickets because matches are often sold out?”
We may not have heard the last of this.
Home Is Not Where Your Team Is
Regardless of the stringent ticket rules, at least Como fans can find some solace in their team playing home games at home.
Which is more that can be said for a number of clubs in the lower echelons of calcio.
On Monday, Calabria’s Regional Administrative Court rejected Cosenza’s request for an injunction against municipal rulings that blocked the lease for the Stadio San Vito - Gigi Marulla and denied its operating licence.
It means the Rossoblu will play their home games in Serie C this season at the Stadio Ezio Scida in Crotone, which is 70 miles south.
The issue stems from the redevelopment work at the Marulla, which will be dividd in four major operational phases.
According to the city council, the construction work would make it impossible to safely accommodate fans during matches.
Last week, Cosenza had challenged the measures and requested their annulment but their demands were turned down on Monday.
The court will ultimately have to rule on the full merits of the case to determine whether the council’s decisions are lawful or must be overturned, but up until then the Rossoblu will be playing in Crotone.
Cosenza’s case comes just two months after Vado agreed to play their home games in Sestri Levante, which is 65 miles south, as the costs of bringing their stadium in line with Serie C requirements were prohibitive.
Vado won promotion back to professional football for the first time in 78 years back in May and briefly decided against making the leap up to Serie C as it was financially unfeasible.
Meanwhile, fellow Serie C side Sorrento will be playing their home game 90 miles way at the Stadio Donato Curcio in Picerno.
The Rossoneri have spent the last three seasons playing home games away from home, as redevelopment at the Stadio Italia stalled.
Work eventually resumed last week to bring the ground in line with Serie C requirements.
The Gauccis Are Back
Your eyes are not deceiving you, the Gaucci family are back in charge of Perugia.
You’d almost think it was an April Fool’s Day joke, but it isn’t.
Some 21 years after Luciano Gaucci left the Umbrian club high and dry amid bankruptcy and relegation to Serie B, a Gaucci is back running the show.
Alessandro Gaucci, Luciano’s son, is part of the Arenacuri consortium that has now taken over the club from former owner Javier Faroni.
Once mainstays in Serie A during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Perugia find themselves in Serie C.
Gaucci’s first decision? To oust manager Giovanni Tedesco for Aimo Diana, of course.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
To describe Gaucci Sr.’s reign as colourful, would be a gross understatement.
From sacking South Korean Ahn Jung-hwan for scoring knocking Italy out of the 2002 World Cup to signing Colonel Gaddafi’s son in 2003, there was never a dull moment.
After bankruptcy, Luciano went into hiding in the Dominican Republic for years before eventually returning to Italy to face the music.
Handed a three-year suspended sentence, he never spent a day in prison and died in Santo Domingo in 2009 aged 81.
Let’s hope Alessandro doesn’t get into half as much trouble as his dad.