Como hand directors' seats to fans born before 1950 for historic Champions League debut

Como 1907 president Mirwan Suwarso has given up the board of directors’ VIP seats for the club’s first-ever Champions League match, allocating them instead to lifelong supporters born in 1950 or earlier ahead of Thursday’s home fixture against RB Leipzig at the newly redeveloped Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.

With the stadium sold out and capacity reduced, Suwarso announced the gesture on his social media channels. “Several club directors and I have decided to give up our seats for this match,” he wrote. “We want them to be allocated to the fans who have waited the longest: supporters born in 1950 or earlier, who have followed Como through every division and every era. We will be honoured to give them our seat.”

The decision means the executive box will be occupied not by corporate dignitaries or the club’s wealthy ownership group, but by supporters who stood by Como through non-league football and fourth-tier obscurity — long before any prospect of European competition seemed conceivable.

Como have been owned since 2019 by Indonesia’s Djarum Group, recognised as the wealthiest ownership in Italian football. Suwarso was appointed president to oversee operations, and the club’s rise under his stewardship has been rapid. After going bankrupt in 2017 and being reborn in Serie D, Como climbed steadily through the Italian pyramid following the takeover, returning to Serie A in 2024 after a 21-year absence.

Head coach Cesc Fabregas, the former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder who holds a minority stake in the club, guided Como to a top-four finish in Serie A last season — a result that secured automatic Champions League qualification. High-profile investors reportedly include Thierry Henry, while former France defender Raphaël Varane sits on the board.

Thursday’s match represents entirely new ground for the Lombardy club. Before this campaign, Como had never competed in a major UEFA tournament; their only prior international experience was a single appearance in the 1980/81 Mitropa Cup.

For the supporters who endured relegation, bankruptcy, and years in the lower reaches of Italian football, the invitation to sit in the club’s finest seats for its most significant night carries a weight no corporate hospitality package could replicate.