Adrien Rabiot has harshly criticized Serie A. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

“Completely crazy”: Controversy over Milan’s game in Australia

The planned staging of the Italian league match between AC Milan and Como in Australia at the beginning of February has led to a dispute between Milan professional Adrien Rabiot and the league boss.

08 October 2025

From: dpa/dl

The French midfielder had announced the now approved plans for the match in Perth in an interview with the daily newspaper Le Figaro described as "completely crazy." The San Siro Stadium will be unavailable on February 8, two days after the opening of the Winter Olympics.

"It's all about financial deals and making the league visible," said the 30-year-old. That's more important than the players. "There's talk about fixture lists and player welfare, but that seems truly absurd," Rabiot added, citing the long flight to Australia's west coast and the time change. "We'll have to adapt, as always," he said.

League boss points to NFL and NBA

Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo dismissed the criticism on the sidelines of the European Club Association's meeting in Rome. He said Rabiot apparently forgets, "like all professional footballers who earn millions, that he is paid to do one thing: play football." He should show more respect and better support his employer, who had campaigned for the match to be played abroad.

Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo defended the plans. © ANSA / FOTOGRAMMA/CARLO COZZOLI

"Top players, who are fairly paid for the work they perform, should understand better than others that this is a sacrifice that can be made," De Siervo emphasized. He pointed out that the NFL and the North American Basketball League have long held games overseas, and that the major cycling events, the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, also go abroad.

UEFA had reluctantly agreed

This week, European Football's governing body reluctantly approved AC Milan and FC Barcelona's plans to play league matches abroad. The Spanish league match between Villarreal and Barça will be allowed to take place in Miami in December. UEFA cited loopholes in the regulations at the FIFA level as the reason. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin explicitly emphasized that the decision should not be viewed as a precedent.