Sensej, a cat known as a dedicated Como 1907 supporter with more than 500,000 Instagram followers, outside the Sinigaglia Stadium before the Como versus Lecce match in Como, Italy, on Feb. 28.
Photographer: Gaia Squarci/BloombergItalian Lakeside Football Club Combines €1,000 Tickets With AI
Backed by billionaire owners and driven by advanced AI analytics, Italian football club Como 1907 is rapidly climbing Serie A while transforming into a luxury tourist destination.
On the shores of Lake Como, Italy has its own Wrexham-style football fairytale unfolding. Two decades ago, Como 1907 went bankrupt and then spent years battling part-time plumbers and teachers in the bottom rungs of Italy’s footballing pyramid. But in 2019, billionaire brothers Michael and Robert Hartono bought Como for €1 million ($1.2 million).
Much like Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney — the wealthy actors who bought and quickly turned around Wrexham — Como hasn’t stopped winning. The club has returned to Italy’s top division, Serie A, for the first time in 20 years and now sits fourth, on track to qualify for lucrative European tournaments.