Maignan against Milan for Perth: “I don’t understand”

Mike Maignan in the press conference on the eve of Iceland-France received a question about Milan-Como, the championship match in February which should be played in Perth, not at San Siro. He responded like this: “I totally agree with Adrien Rabiot. I don’t understand why we play abroad. Today we forget many things, we think a lot about the financial aspect. It’s an Italian championship match, I don’t understand why we play abroad. Furthermore, we should have played at home, so we ‘lose’ a home match. Our objectives are ambitious, we shouldn’t leave anything to chance.” Very clear and, for those who don’t know Maignan, surprising: the Milan captain speaks out against a decision by his club.

rabiot’s words

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What had Rabiot said? This: “I was surprised when I learned that we will play a Serie A match in Australia with Milan. It’s completely crazy. But these are economic agreements to give visibility to the championship, things that are beyond us. There’s a lot of talk about the calendars and the health of the players, all of this seems really absurd. It’s crazy to travel so many kilometers for a match between two Italian teams in Australia. We have to adapt, as always.” Perth is 13,700 km from San Siro and can be reached with a 20-hour journey.

de siervo’s response

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The CEO’s response of the League, Luigi De Siervo, arrived punctually on Wednesday: “Rabiot forgets, like all footballers who earn millions of euros, that they are paid to carry out an activity, that is to play football. He should have respect for the money he earns and support his employer more, that is Milan, who accepted and pushed for this match to be played abroad. The organizational challenge is complicated, the flight hours are many but yes travels in business class on the other side of the world, which teams do consistently. The top players, who have salaries commensurate with the effort they put in, should understand better than others that this is a sacrifice that can be made.”

why perth?

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Milan and Como chose Perth mainly for economic reasons, based on the excellent relationships built by Milan with the Government of Western Australia. Playing a match in Australia is a deal worth around 12 million. The (clearly) largest slice will go to Milan, also as compensation for the loss of the San Siro takings. Como and the other 18 Serie A clubs will have a lower income. Beyond all this, there is a question of international visibility. The A’s first match abroad will be an event, especially for Australia. The move of the match to Perth is not yet official but should be soon. UEFA’s approval, which arrived on Monday 6 October, was the most delicate and least obvious step. The approvals from FIFA and the Australian federation are missing, expected soon.