It has become a ritual before the home matches of “Como Calcio 1907”. More than the team compositions, journalists and followers of the Lombard club are now trying to find out who will take their place in the VIP stand of the Stadio Sinigaglia, renovated and brought up to standard this season after an early season played away by the promoted . But wanting to keep the surprise, the leaders of the Lombard club are careful not to let any information leak out. You have to keep waiting. And the element of surprise. During the reception against AS Roma last Sunday, it was the British actress Keira Knightley, as well as her male friends Michael Fassbender and Adrien Brody, who were surprised celebrating like crazy the goals at the very end of match signed Alessandro Gabrielloni and Nico Paz.
“Who could have imagined that one day? Keira Knightley celebrating a goal from Alessandro Gabrielloni during Como-Roma…“, joked a Lombard supporter on social networks, recalling that his club returned to Serie B only three years ago, after experiencing bankruptcy, the third division and the amateur world. Since then, the world has changed around ” Como Calcio”, initially bought by the Indonesians Michael “Bambang” Hartono and his younger brother Robert “Budi” Hartono, owners of the Indonesian tobacco giant Djarum and whose personal fortunes are estimated at nearly 23 billion dollars each (61st and 65th in the ranking of the richest men in the world in 2023 according to Forbes).
Having become the richest club in Italy, Como then managed to return to Serie A last year. A first in 21 years. To the great joy of Thierry Henry, minority shareholder, who was also drawn into this crazy adventure. But also that of Cesc Fabregas, arrived as a player then quickly became a coach, or even Raphaël Varane, newly retired but remained a member of the board of directors of Como. Without forgetting other big fish who arrived at the lakeside last summer, such as goalkeeper Pepe Reina, notably with Liverpool, Sergi Roberto, a life at Barça, and the very promising Nico Paz, trained at Real Madrid and who is dying the screen.
Football, glory and beauty
In this vast project led by the Hartono family, which also includes real estate investment and the highlighting of a city known worldwide for its beauty and wealth, glamor therefore has a big place. After all, the city of Como is also famous for being one of the home ports of a certain George Clooney, who owns the famous Villa Oleandra there, an 18th century palace where the Hollywood actor likes to stay in the middle of summer. .
To draw a little more spotlight on its football club, not really the main reason for the arrival of the 5.6 million tourists recorded throughout the territory in 2023 according to the Observatory of Tourism and Attractiveness of the region, the Como 1907 staff therefore decided to rely on celebrities from all sides. “What’s better to make yourself known internationally?“, whispers a follower of the club. “For each star who comes here, there are millions of views on social networks and the certainty of gaining publicity well beyond our Italian borders. The photos quickly go around the world“, he adds.
This marketing strategy, supported in particular by President Mirwan Suwarso, a trusted man of the Hartonos and responsible for developing several of their activities, including football, is bearing fruit. The Lombard club, which also created its own channel “ComoTV”, boasts an explosion in audiences on its various information channels. “With the renovation of the stadium, a luxury reception area to accommodate VIPs was createdtells us an internal source. It’s a way to receive the big stars from abroad with dignity.. So far, no one has had any complaints (smile).“Most are also hosted in a prestigious lakeside villa, both before and after the match.
Beckinsale, Grant, Garfield…
“We would like to make Como a club like the Chicago Bulls (NBA) or the Dallas Cowboys (NFL), confided Suwarso three years ago, he who is also director of Mola (formerly Mola TV), an Indonesian subscription video-on-demand and streaming service. With all things considered, obviously. Maybe you don’t know the players on these teams or the matches they have to play. But you know what we’re talking about. We want the average football follower to be able to recognize us immediately. For us, there is a magic triangle: football, people, business. The three things must be able to be aligned and have room for development. Italy is, in our opinion, a place where we can develop an idea of this kind. And in Como in particular. When I proposed this project to the Hartono family, it was voted unanimously.”
This season, the “Stadio Sinigaglia” welcomed personalities such as the British actor Hugh Grant, sitting alongside Raphaël Varane during the Parma reception. Andrew Garfield, who played the role of Spider-Man in two films, also accepted the invitation. To attend Como-Verona and the pre-match concert of Gue Pequeno, an Italian rapper, actress Kate Beckinsale (Pearl Harbor, The Aviator…) honored her presence. Same thing for the match against Fiorentina, closely followed by actors Chris Pine and Benedict Cumberbatch. But in addition to the world of cinema, that of football is also invited. Old as new. Jumble: Jamie Vardy, Dele Alli, Gianluca Zambrotta, Ivan Cordoba, Walter Samuel, Damiano Tommasi…
“Could the city of Como become the new Los Angeles?“, asked this week the fashion magazine “Vanity Fair”, which took up the subject. Another symbol of success of the strategy initiated by Suwarso. “Our project is long termwarned the latter in 2021. We have never missed a project. A company has never gone bankrupt. No employee has ever been fired. I could tell you about how we were able to develop our local Amazon in Indonesia, Blibli.com, buying supermarkets to diversify the offering. We want to reach very high with Como. We must create empathy with the territory, be at the center of people’s lives here and become an opportunity for entertainment. We are also thinking about concerts. The people, the territory, the team: all united.” Stars, glamor and football: too.
