Como’s win over Manchester United puts its lakeside football project in focus
The 4–1 Champions League result has drawn attention to Como’s rise through Italian football and its plan to attract visitors to matches beside Lake Como.
Como beat Manchester United 4–1 at their Lake Como home on Wednesday, 21 October, in a Champions League match that put the Italian club’s rapid rise and visitor-focused business strategy in the spotlight, ESPN reported. It was a striking result for a side playing in Italy’s amateur fourth tier in 2018–19.
Como reached Serie A after three promotions in six years, according to ESPN, then qualified for the Champions League for the first time by finishing fourth last season under manager Cesc Fàbregas. Wednesday’s match brought United to Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, a 12,000-capacity ground close to the lake.
How Como rose through the Italian divisions
Como’s official club history says financial trouble led to relegation to Serie D in 2017. It identifies the Indonesian Djarum Group’s acquisition in 2019 as the start of the club’s revival. ESPN reports that the club had been declared bankrupt twice since 2003 and spent 21 years outside Italy’s top division.
Club president Mirwan Suwarso told ESPN that the owners initially planned to bring Indonesian youth players into the team and broadcast their games back home. An unexpected promotion made them rethink that plan, he said. Como instead developed a wider project that pairs a competitive team with a business aimed at visitors.
Why Como calls itself a sports tourism destination
ESPN reports that Como markets itself as a ‘sports tourism destination,’ using its lakeside setting to draw people to matches. Suwarso told ESPN that visitors would need entertaining football as well as the appeal of Lake Como: ‘If the football is crap, why would they come and watch it?’ The club’s official site describes its stadium as standing on the lake’s shore.
The growth also presents a question for supporters who followed Como through the lower divisions. Before the club’s first Champions League league-phase match, against RB Leipzig, ESPN reports that directors gave up tickets so some long-standing fans could attend. For United’s visit, long-time supporters were invited onto the pitch to wave the Champions League banner before kick-off.
Como won that earlier match against Leipzig 4–1, ESPN reports. The victory over United adds another high-profile result to the club’s first Champions League campaign, while its efforts to attract visitors continue alongside a commitment to include established fans.
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