Thursday's game against RB Leipzig will be the biggest ever hosted by the 14,000-capacity Sinigaglia. Marco Luzzani / Getty ImagesSept. 8, 2026 Updated 7:17 pm EDTComo executives have given away their Champions League ticket allocation so the oldest members of the fanbase can attend their first-ever match in the competition.Como president Mirwan Suwarso was upset to learn many of the club’s longstanding supporters missed out on the chance to watch their team play RB Leipzig at the Sinigaglia on Thursday. The Sinigaglia, on the banks of Lake Como, has a capacity of nearly 14,000 and has never hosted a game of this magnitude before.Suwarso relinquished his standard four-ticket allocation for the game. Other members of Como’s executive team have followed suit, freeing up more than 40 tickets for supporters.
One of them, Gerardo Mandressi is in his late 70s. Known as ‘Il Barba’ by fellow fans at the Sinigaglia, he has an eclectic collection of Como memorabilia, including a pair of Mario Nicoletti’s socks. Getting on in life, he hasn’t been able to attend as many games as he used to in the past but Como have organised for him to be present when his team get their debut Champions League campaign underway.Mandressi isn’t even the oldest fan to receive an invite. Those who live in the countryside like Mario Pozzetti, 90, and Enrico Colombo, 81, will be picked up by the club. Bruno Mandaglio, 78, still cycles to the Sinigaglia while Gianni Canova, 71, lives within walking distance.It is not the first time Como have given back to the community. Free rounds have been organised in select bars when Como scored. The beer served as the Sinigaglia, La Comasca, is local too.Como have made an unbeaten start to Serie A, winning 2-1 in Naples and thrashing Genoa 401. They have yet to play at Sinigaglia while the finishing touches for Thursday’s game against Leipzig are made.
