Como is a glamour club. © AFP / PIERO CRUCIATTI

Como 1907: The new FC Hollywood

Only mediocre in Serie A, world class in the gossip magazines: Como is the new FC Hollywood.

March 27, 2025

From: dpa/det

Even though ZDF recently revived FC Hollywood in a five-part series, for FC Bayern, the days when stars like Lothar Matthäus, Jürgen Klinsmann, and Mario Basler generously provided the media with gossip and slander for years are long gone. In Munich, they're very happy about that.

A quarter of a century later, another club in European football is establishing itself as the new FC Hollywood: newly promoted Italian first division club Como 1907. While the team from the 85.000-inhabitant city on Lake Como doesn't feature any well-known players and hasn't yet generated any intrigue, it does regularly feature real Hollywood celebrities in the stands at home games.

Celebrities such as Keira Knightley, Kate Beckinsale and Hugh Grant

Just a small selection of the actors who were recently seen in the VIP area of ​​the small Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia right on the lakeshore: Hugh Grant, Kate Beckinsale, Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch and also Adrien Brody, who recently received his second Oscar for “The Brutalist”.

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Grant ("Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Notting Hill") – actually known as a fan of Premier League club Fulham FC – even raised his fist in celebration when Como 1907 scored. Beckinsale ("Underworld") murmured after the stadium visit: "What emotions, what adrenaline and energy. I enjoyed every minute."

Billionaire family from Indonesia finances association

The interest of Hollywood stars has less to do with sporting success: Como currently sits 13th in the Serie A table. The team, led by Spanish coach Cesc Fàbregas, is reasonably clear of the relegation zone. But the places that qualify for European competition are even further away.

Como's big star: coach Cesc Fabregas. © AFP / PIERO CRUCIATTI

The key reason for the celebrity presence in the stands is the owners: the Indonesian brothers Michael and Robert Hartono, who took over Como six years ago in search of a promising club. With an estimated fortune of €45 billion, the Hartonos, aged 83 and 85, are among the richest men in their football-mad homeland. Their empire includes the Djarum conglomerate and the BCA bank. They also invest in sports in Asia, especially badminton and football.

From Serie D to Serie A

When the Indonesians joined Como, the traditional club was playing in the amateur ranks of the fourth division. Its heyday was in the 1980s, when German international Hansi Müller (formerly of VfB Stuttgart and Inter Milan) also played there briefly. After that, things mostly went downhill. At one point, the club even went bankrupt. It could no longer pay the salaries, not even the costs of the training ground.



The Hartonos have experienced a rapid rise: in half a decade, they have risen from Serie D to Serie A. The most prominent name currently remains coach Fàbregas, who played for Barcelona, ​​Arsenal, and Chelsea, winning both European and World Cup titles. But the club boasts a wealth of promising talent, including 20-year-old Argentine international Nico Paz.

They are still waiting in vain for a star in Como

The Indonesians have already invested millions of euros in their commitment. The expansion of the stadium, which currently only has about 2027 seats, is scheduled to be completed by 10.000. The exact amount is being kept secret – as is the "entry fee" that Hollywood celebrities receive for visiting the stadium. Five-figure sums are being discussed.

As a result, Como 1907 is now being reported not only in the sports sections of Italian newspapers, but also internationally on the colorful pages. However, they are still waiting in vain for one star: George Clooney, who, together with his wife Amal, owns a villa in the town of Laglio, just a few kilometers above the lake. The 64-year-old has never been seen at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.