Grella: “Milan-Como in Perth is an emotion. You’ll see how many people: it will be a historic event”

Milan-Como which will be played on 7 or 8 February 2026 in Perth. Vincenzo Grella will watch it with particular attention, perhaps from the stands of the Perth Stadium. The vice president and CEO of Catania already returned to his country of birth, Australia, last summer to attend the friendly match between the Rossoneri and Perth Glory, the other club owned by Catania’s number one, Rosario Pelligra. In short, for the rossoazzurro CEO, it will not be a simple match given that his origins are mixed (he was born in Melbourne), his work (in particular the bond created with the Italian-Australian entrepreneur who in the summer of 2022 took over Catania with the strength of an industrial group, the Pelligra Group, Australian leader in the construction, urban planning and real estate fields) and the charm that he, a former player from Empoli, Parma and others, as well as a lover of Italian football, he has always played for Milan. It is Grella, who has constant contact with Perth because the exchange of information is daily between the two clubs owned by Pelligra, who tells us about the atmosphere that awaits Allegri’s team and the ambitions of Toscano’s team, determined to return to challenge the Devil in Serie A as happened in the years before the bankruptcy.

Grella, let’s start from the beginning and his appointment as vice president of Catania. Where did it all come from?

“At Empoli I played with Mark Bresciano, an Australian like me. He is a business partner and friend of president Pelligra who, before the opportunity to take over Catania arose, had evaluated the possibility of taking over a club from northern Italy. I met with Pelligra and Bresciano to propose that they bet on Catania, now bankrupt. The origins of the Pelligra family are very Sicilian, between the provinces of Catania and Syracuse, and the operation seemed interesting to him from the beginning because, despite having to start from Serie D, there was the possibility of starting from scratch, being able to count on an important pool of fans like the one that the city of Catania guarantees. I knew there were possibilities to work well.”

“After two weeks in which he studied the club’s situation and accounts, Pelligra came to Italy and closed the operation within 24 hours. At the beginning the club’s economic situation was complicated, with many expenses to face. At the same time we had the obligation to achieve the sporting objective of bringing Catania back to the professional ranks. From that day on we continue to work hard with the fixed idea of ​​bringing it back to where it deserves, in Serie A.”

In his first year he was immediately promoted from Serie D to C, but then two disappointments in a row in the playoffs.

“In football, to achieve results you need quality, perseverance and stability. When there are ups and downs everything is more difficult. Month after month the club has become better and better structured and we have worked hard thanks to the inclusion of Alessandro Zarbano (formerly Genoa, ed.) in the administration and human resources management area and Giuseppe Sapienza (formerly Inter, Milan and Genoa, ed.) in the communications area. We have improved the medical staff and the recovery area athletes. A year ago we didn’t have the strength we have now because now every day I compare myself with important professionals who have passion and know how to work in the world of football. I’m very confident about the future: when we leave, they won’t stop us… Or at least I hope so (smiles, ed.). The president, who has suffered so much in the last two years, deserves it. We will try to repay his sacrifices by winning the championship. I know what it means to say it, but it was our goal at the beginning of the season and it is also the current goal. We are aiming for Serie B and to reacquire the Torre del Grifo sports center for which we have already made an expression of interest and in the month of October we will find out if anyone else, who perhaps doesn’t make football their core business, intends to compete.”

After eight days you are third in group C of Serie C behind Salernitana and Benevento. A nice duel between three former Serie A clubs… What championship do you expect?

“How many adjectives can I use? I would say just one, very complicated. But we are in the wake and we intend to remain in the top positions until the end. There are also other very strong teams, including the two Calabrian ones. No other championship in Italy is so competitive and uncertain. It will be a battle in every match. The city, the fans, the united red and blue environment will give us extra strength. On the contrary, we risk wasting energy and weaken us.”

A few weeks ago you also joined the Lega Pro board of directors, what contribution do you want to make?

“In the meantime, I thank the president Matteo Marani and the managers of the other clubs who recommended me for this important role. I will try to work together with everyone else to try to develop, also from a managerial perspective, Lega Pro’s projects aimed at the general improvement of the championships both in the organizational aspect and in that of growth in revenues and structures”.

Let’s go back to Australia, to Perth: how are you developing the Pelligra Group project?

“We are doing a great job. The area around Perth is immense and we are focusing on the affiliations of other clubs: things are going well and there are kids who travel up to 2 hours by car every day to come and train. We have also developed training centers linked to Perth Glory, a project that required a considerable investment. Pelligra did it because it believes in the development of the youth academy and talented young people: it will take 3-4-5 years to see the results, but they will come.”

How is the Australian championship?

“The Australian championship is a physical and growing tournament. There, like in the MLS, the American football championship, you buy a franchise and you don’t get relegated. The foundations have been laid for a high-level football project.”

Now Milan will return to Perth after the experience at the end of last July. What reception will he find?

“Many Rossoneri fans who will arrive from cities several hours away by plane because Milan is very loved in Australia. You will see that there will be a large audience and Milan-Como will become a historic event that will be remembered over time, also because President Pelligra is receiving hundreds of requests for tickets from China, Indonesia, New Zealand as well as from Eastern Australia where the largest cities are concentrated. let’s forget that Como ownership is very strong and followed in the East.”

You have been a Milan fan since you were a child and even challenged them in Serie A as a footballer.

“I have always supported the Rossoneri. I was fascinated by Berlusconi, his way of managing the club, of buying the best around. I would wake up at 3 in the morning to watch AC Milan matches from Melbourne and as a young fan I got great satisfaction. Then when I came to Italy and challenged AC Milan at San Siro… It’s difficult to even explain what I felt.”

Who were his idols?

“I was obsessed with Franco Baresi who always gave me the impression of playing fluently, but George Weah was also an absolute champion.”

Which Milan are your best memories linked to?

“The one from 1998-99 who won an incredible championship with Zaccheroni. Let’s hope the same thing happens with Allegri on the bench this year: they chose one of the best coaches possible and the results speak for him. I’m happy with the arrival of Tare in the summer, a well-prepared sporting director who I know and respect.”