Como’s new rules? A move worthy of successful villains – so hurrah

However, please do not criticise Como and allow them to continue with their own rules on season tickets. In this area, we have never celebrated the Hollywood-Indonesian experiment that transformed a team – unremarkable on the pitch but with a highly respectable tradition – into a contrived ‘winning’ club, but long live the Hartonos and the latest updates on how to follow the season at the Sinigaglia stadium. The overused ‘fairy tale’ label applied to Como had been a real pain in the arse for ages, so it’s good that they’ve done something over there that’s finally ruffled the feathers of journalists and self-styled experts who are always ready to hype up every breath Cesc Fàbregas takes.

What’s the big deal, readers might ask, who, with their feet up these days, have better things to do than follow the summer controversies of Serie A? “Season-ticket holders who miss more than three home matches without having informed the club in advance and without a valid reason may lose their season ticket and the right to renew it.” The reason? “We want every available seat to be occupied by Como supporters.” Even the most clueless know that in Italy the big clubs reign supreme, with their supporters filling even the stadiums of the ‘smaller’ sides they’re playing against, creating an awkward, jarring effect in the stands whenever goals are scored. Well, buoyed by its qualification for European competition and anticipating a high demand for season tickets, Como has simply made it clear that anyone who buys a season ticket must attend the stadium, and above all must not give up their seat – as often happens – to opposing fans (usually Inter, Milan or Juventus supporters).

Not only that, but from next season it will be forbidden to wear the colours of the opposing team in any section of the stadium except the one designated for away supporters. What can I say? It strikes me as a move worthy of successful villains, so hurrah. In England, it’s unthinkable to sit in the stands wearing the opposition’s shirt; anyone who tries is stopped at the entrance or removed from the stands; and that’s not all: a season ticket is a serious matter, passed down from father to son (or from mother to daughter – so don’t give me any of that nonsense), which can’t be handed out to just anyone, and which must be honoured even when the team has fewer seasonal ambitions than Torino and Udinese. But did you see the scenes at San Siro last year – the tourists wearing Juventus shirts at Milan matches, or those in Milan shirts cheering when Atalanta went 3–0 up? Football in the Infantino era has become a circus; loyalty is an optional extra that fluctuates with the fashions. Thank goodness there are those who want fans in their stands who really believe in the club, rather than opposing troublemakers who occupy seats simply because there are so many of them. Long live those arseholes from Como – that’s the way to do it.