Now Milan's Serie A game in Perth could be called off

Serie A's plan to host a match in Australia could be the next attempt at staging a domestic fixture abroad to be scrapped, following the abandonment of La Liga's efforts to move Barcelona's game against Villarreal to Miami.

- Nick Ames Sid Lowe Matt Hughes

There are serious doubts over whether Milan and Como will face each other in Perth, rather than their home country, in a game scheduled for February. This month Uefa approved both switches, emphasising permission had been granted on an exceptional basis. Now senior figures within European football's governing body feel that the probability of Serie A breaking precedent and playing a game 8,500 miles from home is also receding.

Permission is still required from the Asian Football Confederation, Football Australia and Fifa before Serie A can finalise the highly controversial move. Sources with knowledge of the process believe that the AFC is coming under significant external pressure not to sanction the game. Two weeks ago the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, called the staging of league games on other continents a "big risk".