When most players hang up their boots after a glittering career, they often drift into television studios or high-profile coaching jobs. But Cesc Fàbregas, the Spanish maestro who orchestrated midfields at Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea, chose something different.He chose Como.
Nestled on the shores of Italy’s breathtaking Lake Como, the club Como 1907 is as picturesque as football gets. Yet behind the postcard beauty lies a team with serious ambition: to rise from Serie B and reclaim a place among Italy’s elite. When Fàbregas arrived in 2022, first as a player and then as a coach, he brought not just global attention but also a winning mentality forged in Europe’s greatest stadiums. His guidance got Como got promoted to Serie A last year ( after spending 21 years in Serie B)
A couple of days ago torrential rains, swollen waters, and flash floods swept through parts of the city of Como damaging homes, businesses, and roads.Yet more evidence of the climate crisis that engulfs our embattled planet.
Como had to take to the pitch soon after – playing against Cremonese. Fabregas announced that all the proceeds from the game would go towards flood relief work in Como.
The game,played against this backdrop of the climate crisis disaster, ended in a 1-1 draw.
Football, with its global reach, has a unique platform. Matches like Como vs Cremonese, played in the shadow of a flood, remind us that the game cannot be isolated from the planet’s struggles. If climate change is the great match of our generation, then players, fans, leaders alike are all on the same team. The question is whether we can defend strongly enough, and act swiftly enough, before the damage is irreversible.