We’ll show that there’s far more to Como than Clooney’s mansion!
Unlikely tale of how Dennis Wise, Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas joined forces to help Italian minnows
AS THE European destination of choice for Hollywood royalty including George Clooney and Ben Affleck, Lake Como has never had any problems enticing global stars to its shores.
The same cannot be said for its football club. A modest outfit that has spent most of its existence rotating between Serie B and C, the side occupying the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on the banks of the water historically know little of glitz and glamour.
Beyond World Cup winners Marco Tardelli and Pietro Vierchowod in the 1970s, there are few names to stir the memory among Como 1907’s alumni. A best finish of sixth in Serie A in 1950 is the height of their achievements.
Ambition has been tempered by experience. Two bankruptcies in the space of two decades will do that to a club. But that is no longer the case. The past summer has seen Arsenal and Chelsea icon Cesc Fabregas join the club, which was bought in 2019 by the Djarum Group, an Indonesian tobacco conglomerate. Thierry Henry has also invested and is now a figure in the boardroom. Aspiration has arrived in abundance.
‘More often than not people talk about Como because of the town, and how magnificent it is, how great it is — the lake, the houses,’ Henry tells Sportsmail.
‘I know for a fact the likes of Benoit Cauet finished his career here, Tardelli played here. It used to be a good club that used to develop a lot of youngsters.’
The hope is that it can be that again. The development of the club, both on and off the pitch, has been placed in the hands of Dennis Wise, who has football connections in Indonesia. The former Chelsea captain has taken up the post of CEO.
His work has already helped deliver a new training ground, on which the club spent €1million. They are looking to acquire a further two-acre plot in order to house the men’s, women’s and academy set-ups.
There is considerable effort being dedicated to improving the stadium, too. Negotiations are ongoing on securing a 99-year lease for their dilapidated home, which currently accommodates fewer than 5,000 fans at each game owing to safety measures.
Securing it would allow for some much-needed renovations. And if the preferred plans are approved, there is talk of a host-city bid for Euro 2032, should Italy’s proposal to host the tournament succeed.
‘There’s a lot of opportunities here that can really give a buzz to the community and give jobs to the people,’ says Wise. ‘That’s an important part of what we want to try and do. We want to try and involve the local companies.’
Nothing illustrates this more than the club’s Como4Como scheme, their flagship community initiative. It was a pledge that by 2025, all resources used by the club, from the grass on the pitch to the food sold in the stands, will be locally sourced. If it’s not available, they’ll work with the community to produce it.
It is the latest gesture to a city that has come to distrust those in control of the club.
‘They had two bankruptcies before this group went and bought it. Nobody really trusted people who bought this football club,’ says Wise of an outfit that counts the wife of former Chelsea star Michael Essien among its failed ownerships.
‘Already that has changed so much, in a period of just over three years. That was important to us, to show we are serious people, that we’re going to do what we’re going to do because if we weren’t I wouldn’t be here. It’s really simple.’ Other programmes are already bearing fruit. The club have pledged profits from shirt sales to regional causes for the next two seasons. So far, pre-sales have sailed past the 4,000 mark.
The strips are sponsored by Djarum’s streaming service subsidiary — Mola TV. As in the UK, there is a ban on advertising and sponsorship for tobacco companies in Italy, but nothing preventing them from owning clubs. In any case their business is multifaceted. The majority of its wealth is down to their ownership of Indonesia’s largest private bank — Bank Central Asia.
There were also donations to local hospitals during the Covid pandemic totalling €125,000. Another €100,000 has since been provided for other causes. Both Henry and Fabregas cite Como’s community focus as a major factor in their involvement.
The city’s mayor Alessandro Rapinese was part of the panel introducing the Frenchman, showing the formation of bonds between club and community.
It is incredible that the club was purchased almost by accident. Initially, the owners sought to own a European club capable of blooding Indonesia’s best young players. Promotion to Serie C as the takeover went through proved problematic as Italian rules state non-EU players cannot be bought by second and third tier clubs.
That changes in Serie A, so promotion would provide an added benefit of finally realising one of the ownership group’s visions.
Not that the presence of Fabregas et al guarantees results. The goal of returning to Serie A for the first time since 2003 is far from assured, as their latest board member is at pains to state.
‘Have you seen the teams that just came down?’ Henry says. ‘People don’t know but it’s very tough to go up to Serie A.
‘Some are well-equipped, some aren’t so well-equipped. Whatever it is, you never know who is going to be successful.’
As Wise adds, there is more than one measure of success for Como.
‘People now know it’s not just a lake and that’s what I wanted to do,’ he says. ‘In time more people will know that this is a football club. And it’s not just a place where George Clooney goes.’