Como to donate Italian Cup tie proceeds to flood damage relief, says Cesc Fabregas
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Como coach Cesc Fabregas has said the club will donate to the local community following flood damage in the city centre.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MILAN – Como will donate all proceeds from Sept 24’s Italian Cup match against Sassuolo to support the local community after the city suffered flood damage following torrential rain in northern Italy overnight, manager Cesc Fabregas said on Sept 22.
The centre of Como was badly hit after Lake Como flooded following intense rainfall, with water flowing through the city’s streets, partially submerging cars and causing damage to homes and businesses.
“The club will donate all the proceeds from the Italian Cup match against Sassuolo... to support the local community during this difficult time,” the 38-year-old Fabregas said in an Instagram post referring to the second-round tie between the two Serie A teams.
“My thoughts are with everyone in Como today. Seeing our beautiful lake flood and the damage it has brought is heartbreaking,” he added.
“Como is more than just a city to me, it is home, it is family, it is community. To all the people, families and businesses affected, please know you are not alone.”
The former Spain, Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder ended his playing career at Como in 2023, with the club competing in Serie B, and began his managerial career there.
He helped them gain promotion as assistant coach and took over as manager last season.
In other Italian football news, former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli was one of three ex-directors handed suspended prison sentences on Sept 22 after a plea bargain deal over accounting irregularities between 2019 and 2021.
Agnelli, whose powerful family has long controlled Juve, was given a sentence of one year and eight months for charges including fraud and market manipulation.
The charges related to artificial inflation of capital gains from transfers and misleading authorities about players forgoing wages during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Juve icon and former vice-president Pavel Nedved was sentenced to one year and two months, while former sporting director Fabio Paratici received a punishment of one year and six months. Former chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene was acquitted of all charges.
The rulings end the last of a series of legal troubles from a scandal which rocked Italian football’s most widely supported club and led to a 10-point deduction during the 2022-23 season.
Agnelli stepped down as Juve chairman alongside the rest of the board in late 2022. He was then given two bans by the Italian football federation the following year – one for two years and another for 16 months. REUTERS, AFP
