Serie A president Ezio Simonelli has confirmed that the proposed league match between AC Milan and Como in Perth in February will go ahead as planned, after earlier doubts over conditions imposed on the fixture were resolved.
Simonelli said key concerns, particularly around the appointment of referees, were addressed following talks with FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina.
He admitted Serie A initially had reservations about using Asian Football Confederation officials but said reassurances on referee quality helped clear the main obstacle.
“We had a series of doubts over some of the conditions that had been set, which we considered impractical,” Simonelli said, adding that Collina “reassured us on the quality of the Asian referees”.
The Italian FA approved the relocation after San Siro became unavailable on February 8 due to the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony, while UEFA had earlier given reluctant approval for the overseas fixture.
