Como's Champions League rise meets fan backlash over stadium rules

Como, the surprise package of last season's Serie A who qualified for the Champions League, have sparked a row with their own supporters over a controversial new stadium policy, according to the Guardian. The club, promoted to the top flight only two seasons ago, has introduced rules requiring fans to attend at least all but three home games per season, a measure the newspaper says has left supporters feeling "terrified".

The Guardian reports that Como's chairman has defended the new rules, arguing they are necessary to maintain the club's atmosphere and competitiveness as it prepares for its first European campaign in decades. The policy applies to season-ticket holders and is designed to prevent empty seats in the club's small Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, which sits on the shore of Lake Como.

The row is a striking turn for a club that has become one of Italian football's most celebrated recent success stories. Como, owned by Indonesian tobacco magnates and backed by a roster of celebrity investors, rose from Serie B to the Champions League in rapid fashion, capturing the imagination of the foreign press as an emblem of Serie A's renewed international appeal.