Cesc Fabregas, data, and Disney: Inside Como
The Athletic FC Podcast
The Athletic
4.0 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 13 November 2025
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Como 1907 are one of the most intriguing clubs in modern football. They have gone from Serie D to Serie A in just six years, backed by billionaire owners they have ambitious plans to grow the Como brand and emulate a Disney model.
In this show we're talking to Mirwan Suwarso, President of Como 1907 about how the club rose to the top and their plans to sustain their success. You'll hear all about manager Cesc Fabregas's involvement in succession planning, their data-led recruitment strategy, and insight into plans for their match abroad against AC Milan.
We also talk fashion, Suwarso's surprising LinkedIn account, and Como's gorgeous lakeside stadium.
Host: Ayo Akinwolere
With: Matt Slater and Mirwan Suwarso
Producer: Mike Stavrou and Nick Thomson
Exec Producers: Adey Moorhead and Abi Paterson
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Athletic FC |
| 0:03.1 | Welcome to the Athletic FC podcast with me, Ayur Akimwalere. |
| 0:09.3 | Como 1907 have gone from Seri De to Seri A in just six years. |
| 0:13.7 | So what's behind their rapid rise? |
| 0:15.8 | And can they sustain this push to the top? |
| 0:20.6 | Okay, here with us today, we've got Matt Slater and also a very special guest, Como CEO, Mirwan, Sowarso as well. |
| 0:27.7 | Look, Mirwan, so good to have you with us. I know we were going to say, is the weather better |
| 0:32.0 | in Como or in London right now? What's going on? London's better right now. It's cold over there. |
| 0:36.3 | Lovely stuff. Look, we have to get into the rise of Como. I guess many people from afar would look at this as a rags to riches kind of story. But I remember speaking to you a while ago. There was an idea that actually you bought this club, but there was a TV idea behind it as well. So you tell us a bit more about that? Yeah, so I bought the club. |
| 0:55.7 | We bought the club when I was running a TV station. |
| 0:59.1 | And at the time, we just lost the Italian League rights. |
| 1:02.4 | So we didn't have any live football. |
| 1:03.6 | And we had this under 17 Indonesian team that we were placing in Birmingham and we were |
| 1:09.9 | broadcasting the games live to Indonesia. |
| 1:12.2 | And the ratings were higher than that of the Premier League because, you know, it's a novelty, |
| 1:16.8 | an Indonesian team playing against UK academies. |
| 1:20.0 | So I thought I had the idea like, why not buy a team somewhere, an amateur division team, |
| 1:25.3 | and place these boys or some of them into this team. |
| 1:29.3 | And it now becomes a proper competition. And people would love to watch that. And then when we |
| 1:34.1 | bought the club, I found out that you're not allowed to have non-EU players below the top |
| 1:39.7 | division. So we have a football team. But, you know, not for what we want. Not for what you wanted to do. |
| 1:46.3 | Well, then let's bring it forward then. When did you decide that this was a football team that |
... |
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