Como 1907 facts for kids
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| Full name | Como 1907 S.r.l. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | I Lariani (Those from Lake Como) I Biancoblù (The Blue and Whites) I Voltiani (The Voltaics) |
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| Founded | 25 May 1907 (as Como Foot-Ball Club)
2005 (as Calcio Como) 2017 (as Como 1907) |
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| Ground | Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia | |||
| Capacity | 13,602 | |||
| Owner | Djarum Group | |||
| President | Mirwan Suwarso | |||
| Head coach | Cesc Fàbregas | |||
| League | Serie C Group A | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie D Group A, 1st of 18 (promoted) | |||
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Como 1907 is an Italian professional football club from Como, Lombardy. The team plays in Serie A, which is the top football league in Italy. They earned their spot in Serie A after doing very well in the 2023–24 Serie B season.
The club started in 1907 as Como Foot-Ball Club. Their team colors are royal blue. Since 1928, they have played their home games at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, which can hold 13,602 fans. Como 1907 is known for having some of the wealthiest club owners in Italian football. The Hartono brothers, Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono, bought the club through their company Djarum Group in 2019. Famous football players like Cesc Fàbregas, who is also the current head coach, and Thierry Henry are also part-owners of the club.
Como first played in Italy's top league in the 1913–14 Prima Categoria season. They stayed there until 1922. In the 1930–31 season, led by coach Gedeon Lukács, Como had a fantastic season. They were promoted to Serie B without losing a single game in the regular season or play-offs. They scored 90 goals and only let in 24 goals in 32 matches.
In the 2000s, Como faced tough times and had money problems. In 2004, the club had to stop playing in professional Italian football because of financial issues. They were then allowed to join Serie D, which is the highest level of non-professional football in Italy. After three seasons there, they moved back up to Serie C2 in 2007. The club faced more financial problems in 2016. A new company restarted the club in 2017, and they were again admitted to Serie D.
Since the Hartono brothers bought the club, Como has become much stronger. They returned to Serie B, and in 2024, they were promoted to Serie A for the first time in 21 years. The Hartono brothers were ranked among the richest people by Forbes in 2022.
Contents
Club History
How Como Football Club Started
The Como Foot-Ball Club was founded on May 25, 1907. A group of people met at the Taroni bar to create the club. In its early years, Como played friendly games and local tournaments. They competed against teams from Milan and Switzerland. On October 1, 1911, the club played its first game at the Campo via dei Mille, winning 3–1 against Bellinzona. This field became their home ground for several years.
In 1912, Como joined with a student club called "Minerva." They then tried to qualify for the Prima Categoria, which was a top league. On October 20, they lost their first match to Savona. Como then played in the Lombardy Promozione group. Their first game there was on November 17, 1912, a big 5–0 win over Brescia. Como was invited to join the top league, the 1913–14 Prima Categoria, and played there until 1922.
In 1927, Como merged with another club called Esperia and changed its name to Associazione Calcio Comense. That same year, they won the Coppa Volta. They beat Inter 3–0 in the semi-final and Genoa 1–0 in the final. The next year, the club moved to their current home, Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, which opened on July 30, 1927.
In the 1930–31 season, Como had a very successful year. Coach Gedeon Lukács led them to promotion to Serie B. They didn't lose any games in the regular season or play-offs. They scored 90 goals in 32 matches and only let in 24. In their first Serie B season, they finished ninth, avoiding relegation easily. A young player named Marco Romano was their top scorer.
World War II affected Italian football, but Como recovered well. In 1945, when there was no national championship, the club won the Torneo Benefico Lombardo. This tournament included big clubs like Milan and Ambrosiana-Inter. After the war, Como played in Serie B. They fought for the top spot for three years before finally being promoted to Serie A for the first time in 1949. Mario Varglien was their coach. Como stayed in the top division for four years. In their first year, they finished sixth, tied with Torino. In later seasons, Como became popular for only using Italian players. They even led Serie A for the first time in their history on September 23, 1951, after the third game of the 1951–52 Serie A season.
Ups and Downs for Como
In the early 1960s, Como faced a setback. They were punished for playing a defender, Paolo Bessi, who was not allowed to play. This caused them to be moved down to Serie C. In their first year in Serie C, the team finished third. The squad was made new by coach Vinicio Viani. After four years in Serie C, Como was promoted in the 1967–68 season. They finished first in their group under coach Franco Viviani. Bruno Ballarini, who played the most games for Como, was still their captain.
In the 1973–74 season, with Giuseppe Marchioro as coach, Como again tried to get promoted. They had a strong defense with Antonio Rigamonti and Vito Callioni, but finished fourth. The next season, still coached by Marchioro and with young star Marco Tardelli, they were promoted to Serie A again. However, they only stayed for one season before going back to Serie B. After being moved down to Serie C1 in 1978, Como, with Marchioro as coach, quickly earned two promotions in a row. They won Serie C1 in the 1978–79 season and Serie B in the 1979–80 season. Adriano Lombardi was their best player during this time. They then stayed in Serie A for two seasons.
Como was promoted to the top league again in 1984. They spent five years in Serie A, which was one of their most successful periods. Strikers Dan Corneliusson and Stefano Borgonovo helped them finish 9th in 1986. They repeated this finish the next year. Their strong defense, led by Pasquale Bruno, was very good. In the 1990s, Como had two quick relegations to C1. This made the decade difficult, as they mostly played in Serie C1. One good moment was when they were promoted to Serie B in the 1994–95 season. Como also won the 1996–97 Coppa Italia Serie C, beating Nocerina 4–2 over two games.
Financial Challenges and New Beginnings
The early 2000s saw a short comeback for Como. They were promoted to Serie B in 2001. However, there was an unpleasant incident in a game against Modena, which led to their captain Massimiliano Ferrigno being banned for three years. Despite this, they were promoted to Serie A in the 2002–03 season. Their return to Serie A was tough, as they were near the bottom all season. There were also problems with fans, leading to a ban on games at their home stadium.
Back-to-back relegations caused serious money problems for Como. In December 2004, the club faced financial difficulties. No one was able to take over the club, and the company Calcio Como S.p.A. was closed down. A new club, Calcio Como S.r.l., was allowed to join the 2005–06 Serie D league. In the 2007–08 season, Como won their group in Serie D and were promoted to the fourth-tier league. That season, they also won the Coppa Italia Serie D. In 2009, Como finally returned to the third-tier league. In 2015, Como finished fourth in the third-tier. They won the play-offs and were promoted to Serie B. They were moved back down the next season.
More money problems came up in the 2016–17 season. The club was put up for sale. At the fourth auction, Akosua Puni Essien, the wife of footballer Michael Essien, bought the club. She was the first foreign businesswoman in Italian football. However, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) did not allow her company to take over Como's spot in the 2017–18 Serie C league. Instead, a new company called Como 1907 S.r.l. was allowed to join the 2017–18 Serie D league.
New Owners and Return to Serie A
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In 2019, the club was bought by the Indonesian company Djarum Group, led by Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono. This happened after the club won their group in the 2018–19 Serie D league. Como returned to professional football under their new owners. The Hartono brothers are very wealthy, and as of 2022, they were earning a lot of money every hour, according to Forbes. From 2021 to 2024, the club was sponsored by Mola, a streaming service owned by Djarum.
In 2021, former Chelsea player Dennis Wise became the CEO of the club. In the 2021–22 season, former Como player Giacomo Gattuso became coach. He helped the team avoid relegation from Serie B, finishing thirteenth. This was the club's best result in the second division in twenty years. The same result happened in the 2022–23 season under Moreno Longo, who took over from Gattuso. In August 2022, former Arsenal, Chelsea, and Barcelona player Cesc Fàbregas became a part-owner and also played for the club. Another football legend, Thierry Henry, also joined as a part-owner later that month.
In the 2023–24 season, Como started well in Serie B under Longo and reached the top of the league. However, on November 13, the club decided to change coaches. Cesc Fàbregas became the temporary coach. Since he didn't have the highest coaching license yet, Como appointed Welshman Osian Roberts as head coach on December 20, with Fàbregas becoming his assistant. The team finished the season in second place, which meant they would return to Serie A after 21 years. Promotion was confirmed on May 10, 2024, after a 1–1 draw against Cosenza. Como finished as runners-up, three points ahead of Venezia and just behind Parma, who won Serie B. There were questions about whether Como could play their home games at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in the 2024–25 season because it needed upgrades to meet Serie A rules. However, the stadium is now being used.
Club Identity
Club Badge
Most of Como's club badges over the years have featured the city's coat of arms. This is a red shield with a silver cross in the middle. Sometimes, like in the 1949–50 season, this cross was even sewn onto the players' shirts. Another common feature on the club's badge is a reference to Lake Como.
One of the first known badges from 1919 had a brown ball surrounded by a white band with the city's name and coat of arms. In 1927, when Como merged with Esperia, the badge changed. It became a circle with the club's name in blue at the top, a white five-pointed star, and the white cross from the city's coat of arms at the bottom. In the early 1950s, a new badge was introduced. It was a blue shield with "Calcio Como" in yellow letters and the city's coat of arms in the top left corner. In 1991, the badge changed again. It featured a white shield with the city's coat of arms in the center, surrounded by blue waves. Above this was the city's name, and below it was the year the team was founded. The badge has been slightly changed over time, with different colors and fonts.
In 2019, when new owners took over, a new logo was chosen by fans. This badge shows the club's name and a lake wave design, placed over a Greek cross. The design is either blue or white, depending on where it's used, and it no longer includes red.
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Logo of the Associazione Calcio Comense, used from 1927 to 1936
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Como logo used between 1950 and 1970
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Como logo used between 1991 and 2017
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Como logo used since 2019
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Team Colors
Como's traditional colors are light blue, usually on their shirts, and white for their shorts and other details. In the club's early years, different patterns like crosses or stripes were used on the blue shirts. In the 2000s, the club's blue became a darker royal blue, which led to their nickname Biancoblù (The Blue and Whites). The away kit is usually the opposite of the home kit, but sometimes it changes based on fashion trends.
In 1926, when the club merged with Esperia, they sometimes added garnet red to their shirts. In 1938, after merging with AS Ardita, green was also used.
Home Stadium
Como first played their matches at the Campo di via dei Mille in Como. This field opened on October 1, 1911, with two friendly games. Internazionale beat Milanese 8–0, and Como won against Bellinzona 3–1. The club used this stadium for their home games until 1928.
In the 1928–29 season, Como moved to their current stadium, Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. They still play their home matches there today. The stadium was built by order of Benito Mussolini and was named after Giuseppe Sinigaglia, an Italian rower and war hero who died in World War I. It opened on July 30, 1927, with an international match between Austria and Lombardy.
The city of Como owns the stadium, which can hold 13,602 fans. Its design, by Giovanni Greppi, is an early example of a modern architectural style in Italy. Even though the club was promoted to Serie A in May 2024, there were questions about whether they could play at Sinigaglia for the 2024–25 season. This was because the stadium needed upgrades to meet the league's minimum capacity rules. However, the stadium is now being used.
Fans and Rivalries
Como's passionate fan groups, known as "ultras," started with the Fossa Lariana group in the mid-1970s. This was a large and important group with sections across Italy. Como fans became well-known. They preferred an "English style" of support, focusing on chants and flags, rather than the traditional Italian style with drums and many banners. After the Blue Fans Como (BfC) group ended in 2002, many new groups formed the Curva Como. These included Lariani, Estrema Fazione, WBH (White & Blue Hooligans), and Blacklist Como.
After the club faced financial problems and was moved down leagues, the fans became active again when the Indonesian company Djarum Group bought the club in 2019. Como's ultras reorganized under the name Como 1907. This group brought together Maledetta Gioventù (the main group) and Solo Cylom 1995. Other groups in the Curva Como include Panthers 1975 (one of the oldest groups), Distinzione Lariana, Brusà, Madness - Tugurio, Away 1907, Quelli del Lago, Old Fans, and Veterani.
A main saying among Como's supporters is "Non ci sono amici di Como," which means "There are no friends of Como." This shows why they have many rivalries. Como's main rivals are nearby clubs. These include the Derby del Lario against Lecco, the Derby Insubria against Varese, and the Derby between Como and Monza. The Monza rivalry is known as "the hottest derby in Serie B." The two clubs first played in Como on November 19, 1922, ending in a 0–0 draw. The rivalry grew stronger on June 4, 1967, when Monza beat Como 1–0 in a key promotion play-off. It became even more intense on April 13, 1980. Monza was leading 3–1, but Como scored a penalty in the last minute to make it 3–3. This draw stopped Monza from being promoted to Serie A. Como also has a rivalry with Inter fans, who are friends with Varese fans. Other rivalries include matches against Modena, Livorno, Atalanta, Venezia, Palermo, Cremonese, Brescia, Verona, Sampdoria, Ternana, and Piacenza.
Players
First-team squad
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Primavera
Other players under contract
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Out on loan
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Notable Players
Club Captains
Player of the Year
Since 2013, Como's supporters give out an award called Trofeo Brogonovo (Borgonovo Trophy) at the end of each season. It's named after club legend Stefano Borgonovo and recognizes the team's best player or staff member.
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Club Staff
Executive Team
| Position | Name |
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| President |  Mirwan Suwarso |
| Chief Executive Officer |  Francesco Terrazzani |
| Sporting Director | Carlalberto Ludi |
| General Secretary | Emanuela Lubian |
Coaching Staff
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| Position | Name |
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| Head coach |  Cesc Fàbregas |
| Assistant coach |  Marc Bircham |
| Dani Guindos |
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| Diego Pérez |
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| Massimiliano Gatto |
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| Technical assistant | Cristiano Scazzola |
| Goalkeeping coach | Enrico Malatesta |
| Fitness coach | Andrea Castellani |
| Andrea Bernasconi |
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| Filippo Sassi |
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| Video analyst |  Chris Galley |
| Match analyst | Ivan Brocchieri |
| Team manager | Giuseppe Calandra |
| Physiotherapist | Simone Gallo |
| José Calvarro |
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| Head of development |  Osian Roberts |
| Academy coach | Daniele Buzzegoli |
Club Achievements
League Titles
- Serie B
- Winners: 1948–49, 1979–80, 2001–02
- Runners-up: 1974–75, 1983–84, 2023–24
- Serie C groups
- Winners: 1930–31, 1967–68, 1978–79, 2020–21
- Runners-up: 1993–94, 2000–2001
- Play-off winners: 2014–15
- Serie D groups
- Winners: 2007–08, 2018–19
- Play-off winners: 2008–09
Cup Wins
- Coppa Italia Serie C
- Winners: 1996–97
- Runners-up: 1992–93, 2014–15
- Coppa Italia Serie D
- Winners: 2007–08
Other Trophies
- Coppa Volta
- Winners: 1926–27
- Torneo Benefico Lombardo
- Winners: 1944–45
External links
- Como at Serie A
See also
In Spanish: Como 1907 para niños
