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Great revival: How Indonesians propelled Como 1907 back to Serie A
Djarum, ex-Indonesia national team striker Kurniawan both played significant roles in restoring the historic club to Italian soccer’s top tier.
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Historic comeback: Como 1907 players celebrate on May 10, 2024 after drawing 1-1 against fellow Serie B team Cosenza at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium, its home base in Como, northern Italy. Como finished the Serie B season as runner-up for automatic promotion to reclaim a spot in Italy’s top flight Serie A league. (Instagram/Como Football)
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s Como 1907 celebrated its success in reaching Italy’s Serie A soccer league this season, praise was heaped on not only the team but also its Indonesian coaches and especially its Indonesian owners that invested in and restructured the team.
Como 1907 was promoted to Italian soccer’s top league after it clinched 1 point on May 10, which it tied 1-1 in a match against fellow Serie B team Cosenza at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium, its home ground.
On May 11, Venezia’s 2-1 defeat to Spezia ensured that 1 point was enough for Como to secure the Serie B runner-up spot below famed team Parma for elevation to Serie A.
The six teams that placed third to eighth in the second-tier league are set to compete in a playoff compete for the remaining Serie A spot.
Its Serie A promotion marks a comeback for Como, which has a rich history but struggled for decades in the lower tiers of Italy’s league system. Established in 1907, Como last competed as a Serie A team in 2003 before it was relegated to Serie B, C and D in the succeeding seasons.
Critics pointed to many factors that contributed to Como’s success, from the role of Welsh coach Osian Roberts, who was appointed as the team’s caretaker manager in late 2023, to Como-born striker Patrick Cutrone, who was named the most valuable player (MVP) in Serie B this season after scoring 14 goals in 32 games.
“The club’s success came from a good strategy in and out of the field, including proper recruitment that brought in the right players,” sports journalist and soccer observer Firzie Idris told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
