There is a red carpet at the Como 1907 stadium this season. Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley and Michael Fassbender celebrate the goals of Cesc Fábregas’ team. Andrew Garfield and Hugh Grant also once encouraged Nico Paz. Lake Como is a perfect location that attracts the stars. And the city, between the irresistible landscape and elite football, is now the new Italian Hollywood.
But… why do Hollywood stars celebrate the “lariani” goals? How did they end up there?
It’s not that they have been fans of the team since they were little. They may not even follow football in general. An invitation from the club brought them together there. They visited the lake, the most important thing. They toured the iconic places of the city, located about 50 km from Milan. They ate in the most luxurious restaurants. And, as a finale, they went to the game.
It’s all part of the clear strategy of the Hartonos and their right-hand man at the Lombardy club, Mirwan Suwarso. Always with the lake as the protagonist, as the main attraction around which everything else revolves.
“Our project has Disney as a reference. Theme parks, movies, studios, media and merchandising. Everything connected in one place. We have to do the same here in Como,” Suwarso warned a few months ago, in April of this year, when the team was close to the mythical promotion.
No sooner said than done. Because now, watching the game live is not just an attraction for the personalities they invite for a weekend. It is also the same for the fans, who come to the stadium every two weeks also pending what will happen in the stands. Who will be today’s guest?
Other well-known faces who attended the stadium were the British actress and model Kate Beckinsale; the Italian singer Gue Pequeno; or Billy Beane, the American baseball executive who became famous thanks to “Moneyball.”
Almost no one went to the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium, just 5 years ago. Games with 200 spectators for a Serie D team that did not generate interest. Now the sold-out sign hangs every day with 10,000 spectators. It goes viral due to the photos and videos of famous people who come to the stadium to cheer on the team.
Despite the presence of illustrious guests, the club remains faithful to its roots. Season ticket prices for historic fans have been frozen.
And, in addition, it has a curious initiative underway called “Cheers4Como” (Cheers for Como) in which the club, in case of victory, pays a round to fans who are watching the game in a series of bars selected from the city.
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The Como team has become one of the main attractions
The owners of the club are brothers Robert and Michael Hartono, two Indonesian businessmen who are protagonists in the tobacco industry. They occupy positions 74 and 89, respectively, in the ranking of the Forbes list.
Between them they accumulate a total capital of 48,000 million euros, which places them in the largest fortune in Italian football.
When they acquired the club in 2019, they did not lose their way with excessive investments or impossible signings to shorten the deadlines. They were discreet, but constant.
Two years later they achieved promotion to Serie B. And in 2024 the great goal of the “calcio” elite. His philosophy was to connect with the city, bring the team closer to the fans and not disengage, as usually happens when magnates enter the world of football. For now, they have complied. And they are one of the most stable properties in Italy.
The management, as the sporting importance grew, believed it was necessary to incorporate people who knew the terrain. He found two giant names who were excited about the project. Because they wanted a real bond with a team that was intended to be more than just football. To be something more, as he is demonstrating.
Known for having been locker roommates at Arsenal, Fàbregas and Thierry Henry entered as minority shareholders. Although, without a doubt, the one who has acquired the most prominence is Cesc.
He arrived as a player, retired in Serie B in 2023 and became a coach. He had a problem with a license but, after a few months in which he could not train, he returned to sit on the bench to lead the team in Serie A.
He signed a world champion like Raphael Varane. But an injury prevented him from performing and he retired just a few months ago. His involvement with the team also goes beyond football. He is a new member of the Board of Directors and has a position on the board for product and quarry development.
In the city of Como what has always shone, above all, is the famous lake. It is literally a place out of a movie. The crystal-clear water and spectacular alpine backdrop make it a favorite destination for millionaires. The vacation of the elite.
George Clooney has a villa in the beautiful town. But now, in addition, it is a city that has a team in Serie A. And the club, under the ownership of the Indonesian Hartono brothers, has drawn up a commercial strategy to increase its visibility, to turn the town into a brutal experience that mixes everything : luxury, football and, above all, the lake as the main attraction for familiar faces and, therefore, for the general growth of the Lombard town.
With information from EFE
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