Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to the Italian football podcast. We have to talk about KOMO NIMA. and They are maybe the story of the Serie A summer transfer market. The whole KOMO project is is really a fascinating one. They were promoted from Serie B. last season. um This will be their first time in Serie A since the 2002 -2003 season when they were relegated with one of the worst ever performances in Serie A. They won four matches and they then completely
Speaker: fell away, fell apart, the club did, relegation after relegation, they went all the way down to Sadia D, and they went bankrupt twice, and but then, in 2019, they were bought by the Indonesian tobacco giants, Jaram Group, who are the It makes Como the wealthiest ah club, the richest club in Serie A, the wealth wealthiest ownership group in Serie A, the Robert Boudy and Michael Hartono brothers who are the owners of Jarrum Group. And together these brothers boast a combined net worth of $48 billion. dollars It's absolutely insane the money that they have.
Speaker: and they have big plans for KOMO and we're already starting to see the KOMO project take shape. I mean they've got some some really high profile figures within KOMO. Chess Fabregas is the coach, he's just taken over from Asain Roberts after getting his coaching badges. ah Roberts has moved to become head of development, they've got some high profile shareholders including Thierry the former Roman goalkeeper and they are this week about to sign Raphael Varan on a free transfer the France World Cup winning legend former Real Madrid legend and former Manchester United player they're also looking at they're also in negotiations right now for Arthur Mello on loan from Juventus they're looking at Anthony Martial they were linked with Max Hummels before before they went for Varan so they they have some really really big plans don't they
Speaker: nema They certainly do. um they it's it's yeah I mean, on the one hand, it's one of those things where, yeah, cool little tiny Kormor get all these big names um when they return to the city. But on the other hand, I'm not too happy about it because this is exactly what we've spoken about. The smaller teams investing in experienced older players with large with large salaries instead of giving Italian youth a chance. If they're not going to get a chance at Como, they're sure as hell aren't going to get a chance at Juve Inter Mila Napoli Roma.
Speaker: And I don't like that. I think this this is um this is ah this is an aspect of Italian football, and it's not not just Como. This has always been the case in Italian football, that when new clubs come up, when they went to the Serie A, they try to bring in one or two or three more experienced players to offer some stability to the project in order to avoid relegation. So for Italian and football, this isn't good. ah or it's Long term, it isn't good, because it's another club. That looks away from youth but for KOMO it's it's fun for KOMO fans. It's really really fun. I mean they
Speaker: They bring in lots of big names to this tiny little beautiful place, which is one of the most beautiful places on earth. If you've ever been lucky to be there, you know what I'm talking about. It's it's an absolutely stunning place. I mean, I know many of many of the Inter Milan players and stars through the years live in Cornwall. Well, Lake Cornwall, I mean, George Clooney, I mean, you can go on and on with the with the number of celebrities and and the the rich and the famous who go there. I mean, it's it's a beautiful location, isn't it? The stadium is just just a right right by the lake. Yeah, right by the lake, isn't it? Yeah, Giuseppe Sinigaglia. It was refurbished in 2002. It first opened in 1927. It's right by the lake. No, who built the stadium?
Speaker: Sorry? Do you know who built that stadium? Benito Mussolini. It was built on the request of Benito Mussolini and it was named after an Italian rower and war hero Giuseppe Sinigaglia who is from, who was a native of Como. and They might not play there, though. What's going on with the stadium? It's a bit unclear at the moment whether they're actually going to play there, isn't it? Because it doesn't meet the it doesn't meet the minimum capacity requirements set up by the CER. And so there's work required in order to upgrade and play there. Because that's why I said it's it's a very old stadium in 1927. The current capacity is 13 ,602.
Speaker: Is it good? I mean, you've you've said they're about the youth there and and and you're right. um Having said that though, when you've got $48 billion ah ah dollars ah among your ownership group, then it doesn't surprise you that you're going to try and go for instant success, ah really. um But then maybe, you know, I guess time will tell. Maybe maybe that that that's a mistake. Maybe they should be looking also to build more from the bottom in terms of younger players. And I know Chess Fabregas has talked about that and said that there is a plan to to create the infrastructure.
Speaker: um but it doesn't seem like that based on their silence so far this summer they're going looking at the squad now they've signed Belotti he's not exactly a teenager. Cutrona is 26 now but he's you know if if he if he counts at you as youth that's part of Pepperaine as 41 yeah Simone Verdi who's had a very weird career You know, they've got, what's his name? Daniela Baseli. They've got, I think they just bought Alberto do Senna. I mean, it's, it's like, it's a, it's, it's, it reads like a 30 plus all stars of Serie A of the last 10 years. And it's like, I get again, while they're doing it, but this is what we keep saying. If the, if youth can't even get a chance at a place like Cuomo, then what are we doing here?
Speaker: you knows But is it good for Serie A? I mean, it's not good maybe for the Italy national team, that's for sure. But is it good for the Serie A to have that yeah have a new club with all this money that can go out and, and you know, we'll see. We'll see what they're and how just how ambitious. We'll see whether in a year or two years such time, whether they are challenging Juventus, Milan and Interfer when it comes to the transfer market too, because they can certainly afford it. and Yeah, but that's, yeah, I just don't see that happening. I think it's a little, it'll at most be two, three seasons of A Flash in the Pan and it's a nice acquaintance, but when there's not very many people living in Cornwall, and they don't exactly have a huge fan base. um So no, look, for me, it's, um I mean, when I think of Cornwall, I think of
Speaker: Stefano Borgenovo and, you know, Don Connell, your son, and the Milan.
Speaker: Claudio Borg, the the Brazilian Milan striker who played for Milan as well. and Argentine, yeah. yeah Sorry Argentine, yeah. I mean, I look at those guys, I think of them, and and it's like that but iconic era they had back then. In the 80s, yeah. instead say it was michael eye The Brazilian yeah was amazing. Yeah, and of course Stefano Borgonovo, you know, the sad story of him and how he passed away. and No, so it's it's it's it is it is a club with with history. It's a club with with with pedigree and some interesting, you know, so but it's umm umm I'm happy they're back um because it's nice to have these, you know, it gets boring if you have the same clubs over and over just coming up and going down. You want that kind of freshness because there's such a depth of historical clubs and piazza in in Italy that it's nice for them to show off at the biggest Italian football stage.
Speaker: um but But there is, look, it's it's it's it's a b it's's I think it's a very attractive place to come to live to. um you know ah Because of... Very expensive. Well, it's the most luxurious, one of the most exclusive places in all of Europe. um Property there is very expensive, but it's a beautiful place to live. It's very calm. um it sir it's I genuinely can't recommend enough visiting it if you go there is absolutely the the place is tiny it's got this kind of like village feel to it.
Speaker: very calm very clean very beautiful um and and just just a nice nice all -round nice vibe around it um there's lots of things you know it's right close to the house do you imagine if como like got into europe and then they started playing like i don't know chelsea or something like the fans or le over put us the fans all flock over to como like just like smash up the place no no no they move that to the san siro there's no way they play them there do you imagine there's no way they would allow that there's no way they' out there they'd go to the san siro they theyd they they just you know rent the san siro the lake all gets polluted and you just want you just want english football hooligans to to trash up places i've got a picture in it you know
Speaker: Well, it's not just the English. I mean, they're the words, probably the Dutch. I mean, like, fire notes. Imagine fire note comma. I mean, they smashed up right. No, I don't see it. I'd see UEFA putting a stop to that before we even can get to that far. But no, it's it's it's a fun it's a fun club. And it's going to be interesting to see what Fabregas now, whether he's the head coach, taking over from Ousan Roberts. who's now become head of development, I think. That's right, yeah. yeah And he's he's got a great history of that. And Fabrikas, as a pundit, he's he's he's fantastic. He's very, very intelligent. He's thinking the way he thinks about the game, but doesn't always obviously doesn't always translate as a manager. It's very different.
Speaker: you know, being knowledgeable and and having a good understanding and conceptually being good. You've got to be able to get your ideas across and there's lots more to managing than just ideas. So it is interesting. It'd be very interesting to see how Fabregas does. In the first game of the season for Carmoids against Juventus. Away, isn't it? I believe so, yeah. I mean, it's against Thiago Motta's Juventus and obviously Fabregas Motta, they played against each other and in the Euro 2012 final. So it's, yeah, it's a great storyline to start the season. It's a beautiful storyline and it's it's a beautiful, it's a tiny little club. um I have a friend who we've interviewed who is from Como, he used to play for Como's youth team as a goalkeeper, Francesco Fontana, who is now
Speaker: Bordeaux Campo Giornalista at the zone for Serie A so he was very very happy and excited to see his his Cuomo go back up to the Serie A so yeah it's it's an interesting one yeah it certainly is
