Como 1907 have spent 19 years outside of Serie A. They have never won a top-flight title or a domestic cup, been declared bankrupt twice this century and as recently as 2019 were loitering in the fourth tier of the Italian pyramid. And yet, this summer they were one of the most talked-about football clubs in Europe.
The city and in particular, its world-renowned lake, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and has long had a reputation as a hotspot for the rich and famous. But in general, Como 1907 – the club originally founded that year – has led an unremarkable existence. The August arrivals of Cesc Fabregas, as a player-shareholder, and Thierry Henry as a stakeholder within four weeks of each other, changed that, catapulting it into the spotlight.
On the face of it, Como’s emergence looks like a tale typical of modern football: New owners buy a club and recruit big-name stars to demonstrate the scale of their ambition to supporters, give their project legitimacy and attract more eyes to their other businesses. That is not the case here, according to Mirwan Suwarso, an official representative of the ownership group, SENT Entertainment, a subsidiary of Indonesian tobacco corporation Djarum.
“We don’t look at their reputation, what we’re trying to bring is their experience,” Suwarso tells i over Zoom about Fabregas, Henry and CEO Dennis Wise’s involvement. “If you want to do something you have to learn from the best, that’s the way we see things. Whatever they have can only benefit us, otherwise it would just be amateurs trying to be professional in a professional world.
“I think in the beginning there was extreme scepticism. They were saying ‘who the f___ are these people?’ and ‘why did they pick Como?’ I’m like, dude don’t you know your place is really nice? It’s a stunning place, it really is. It’s one of the most scenic locations in the world.”
Although Suwarso and the ownership group now have grand ambitions for Como’s future – “I wouldn’t mind replacing Juventus. I think Fiat is a great company, but we’re bigger than them,” and “if the owners are willing, we’ll be vying for the Champions League in the next quarter century” – their plans for the club have changed considerably from when the takeover was completed in 2019.
Initially, the idea was to incorporate young Indonesian players into the club’s setup with the aim of developing their skills sufficiently to earn professional contracts in Europe. That idea had to be scrapped immediately when they discovered that Italian clubs below Serie A are unable to register non-EU players. The group has a youth programme at Loughborough University instead, overseen by Wise and former England defender Des Walker.
“We just thought let’s roll with it,” Suwarso says about the unforeseen shifting of the goalposts. “It’s no longer a project to suit Indonesian development but actually grow the football club itself. That has become the sole ambition. We took it from Serie D to C then as we got into B, we started to prioritise growth in the infrastructure. We bought an academy, we’re bringing in more professionals to try to push it to Serie A and beyond.”
One of the players brought in to facilitate Como’s progression is 21-year-old English defender Luis Binks, who joined on a season-long loan from Bologna. Binks spent 13 years in Tottenham Hotspur’s academy but since February 2020 has been playing abroad, in Canada, with Montreal Impact and CF Montreal, and Italy, with Bologna. Binks decided to seek a new challenge away from Spurs after seeing “no pathway” to the first-team under Mauricio Pochettino or Jose Mourinho.
“I enjoy it a lot. I think Italian football suits me a bit better than English football,” Binks tells i. “Obviously one day I’d like to play in England as that’s what I’ve grown up watching but I do like the lifestyle [here] and Italy is obviously known for its defending which is why I came in the first place. I think if you look at the Championship it’s a lot more frantic and up and down whereas in Italy it’s a lot more technical and tactical and I like that side of it.”
Binks joined Como a couple of weeks before Fabregas arrived. “When I was growing up back home he was obviously one of the best players in the Premier League so to then play alongside him was a bit surreal,” he admits. “He’s been very professional and humble. I said to someone that he’s won the World Cup, the Premier League and every day he’s in the gym before training.
“My favourite players growing up were John Terry and Sergio Ramos and he’s played with both so I quizzed him a bit about them and he gave me some pointers in games and after games so he’s been very helpful.”
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The ownership will point to the team’s promotion from Serie C in 2020-21 and mid-table finish in Serie B last season as proof of its rise, although a winless start to this campaign has tempered expectations slightly. Given his status, quality and experience, Fabregas will be key in raising both the club’s profile and standards around the training ground. Lesser-known players like Binks will also have an important role to play, though, as the club continues to develop “naturally, progressively and organically”.
That suggests Galactico signings like Fabregas will be the exception rather than the rule. “We’re not the Abu Dhabis, we’re not the Qataris, we’re not PSG,” Suwarso says.
The locals will also be integral to the club’s growth. “I look at Leicester and how the ownership is ingrained in the club, working together with the community. I really like that,” Suwarso says. “We’ve been helping the community since we started. During Covid, we tried to make sure we could help the hospitals provide free testing and stuff like that. That’s how we do business, it’s the ethos of the group: build the community first, be a part of the community and grow together.
“If everybody benefits from our business, the sky is the limit.”
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