Serie A Leader Condemns Rabiot's Remarks on Milan's Australian Fixture

The chief executive of Serie A criticised Adrien Rabiot's remarks on Wednesday regarding UEFA's permission for AC Milan to host a league match in Australia.

During an interview with the French publication Le Figaro, the Milan player labelled UEFA's approval of a 'home' fixture against Como in Perth as 'completely irrational'.

Addressing journalists at a league conference in Rome, Serie A's Luigi De Siervo advised Rabiot to focus on his salary and refrain from commenting on the matter, which permits Milan and the league to hold the February 8 match overseas.

AC Milan's San Siro venue will be unavailable during this period as it is scheduled to host the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on February 6.

De Siervo stated, 'Rabiot, along with other high earning players, seems to overlook that their primary duty is to play football. He ought to show greater appreciation for his earnings and provide stronger backing to his club, AC Milan, which advocated for this overseas fixture.'

UEFA announced on Monday that it had 'with reservations' sanctioned both AC Milan's home encounter with Como in Perth and a La Liga clash between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami, Florida.

European fan associations described these arrangements as 'illogical, financially unsustainable, and ecologically harmful', and Rabiot expressed his discontent.

'This is utterly unreasonable,' he commented. 'Financial arrangements exist to ensure the league's visibility. These decisions are outside the players' influence. It makes no sense for two Italian clubs to travel such a distance to compete in Australia.'