Como's rise through Italy's pyramid sets a benchmark in Europe

The subject in brief

Como is a club from the city of the same name on Lake Como in northern Italy. For most of its history it moved between Serie A and the lower professional divisions. It was never a regular at the top of Italian football and had no real place in European competition. The story the BBC tells is one of rebuilding. The club dropped as low as Serie D, the national amateur level that sits under the fully professional leagues. It has since climbed back through the pyramid into Serie A, and from there into the Champions League.

The BBC headline names two people: Nico Paz, a midfielder, and Cesc Fàbregas, who coaches the club. This article does not judge how either of them plays or coaches. It looks at the structures that make such a climb possible: Italy's rules for clubs that collapse, how promotion works, and how a domestic league finish turns into a place in UEFA's top club competition.

The BBC's comparison with Manchester United should be read as framing. The source material does not explain exactly what the lesson is. This article does not report on any match between the two clubs, and it does not imply that one took place or had a particular result.

Origins of the rebuild

The route to Serie D is the key part of the story, and it comes from a specific feature of Italian football. When a professional club fails financially and cannot register for the next season, it does not simply drop one division. The Italian football federation has rules that let a new company carry on the city's football tradition, usually starting in Serie D. The new entity can keep the name, the colours and the identity, but the professional status and the old debts stay with the failed company.

That mechanism lies behind Como's rise. A club that restarts in Serie D has to earn promotion on the pitch, one level at a time: Serie D to Serie C, Serie C to Serie B, and Serie B to Serie A. Each step brings a different set of financial rules, stadium standards and squad rules. Only the clubs with the most resources or the best organisation can move up quickly.

How many seasons Como spent at each level, and exactly when each promotion came, is not covered in the source material. This article does not try to fill in those details.

How it works today

Once a club is in Serie A, it can reach the Champions League in only one way: by finishing high enough in the league table. UEFA gives each national association a number of places based on its coefficient, a ranking built from how that country's clubs have done in Europe over recent seasons. Italy is one of the strongest associations, so several Serie A places lead directly to the competition. UEFA's system can also give extra places to the associations whose clubs performed best in the previous season.

The competition itself now opens with a single league phase rather than the old groups of four. Every club plays eight matches against eight different opponents, picked by a draw that uses seeding pots. Pot allocation depends mainly on club coefficients, which reward a club's own recent European record. A newcomer such as Como therefore usually comes in with a low coefficient and a tougher pot position than the established giants. It does not lack status. It simply has no European record yet to count.

The money is where the structure bites hardest. Champions League clubs share in prize money, payments linked to coefficients, and broadcast-related income. For a club that has just risen, that money can fund squad investment, facility upgrades and youth development all at once. It also brings duties. Under UEFA's financial sustainability rules, clubs must show that their squad spending is in line with their revenue. Those rules matter most to clubs that have grown quickly with owner investment.

Common misconceptions

One common mistake is to think a club that "restarts in Serie D" was relegated four times in a row. Usually it was not. The drop happens all at once, through the refoundation process, because the old professional entity can no longer register. Relegation and refoundation are different things, with different legal and financial results.

A second mistake is to treat a newly qualified club's entry as a reward that brings guaranteed money. The fixed participation fee is only part of what a club earns. A large share depends on results and on coefficient-based payments, and those favour clubs with long European histories. A debutant usually earns less from the same stage of the competition than a club with decades of history behind it.

A third mistake is to read a "lesson" in a headline as a statement about a match. In the BBC's framing, the comparison is about how a club is run, not about any scoreline. Clubs with very large revenues and clubs rebuilt from the amateur game face the same qualification rules. What sets them apart is how well their recruitment, coaching structure and spending fit together.

Where to look next

Readers who want to follow the mechanics should start with UEFA's published competition regulations. These explain the league-phase format, the seeding pots and how places are allocated between associations. UEFA's financial sustainability regulations explain the limits on squad spending that apply once a club enters European competition.

For the Italian side, the federation's rules on club admission and on what happens to clubs that fail to register explain the Serie D restart. Lega Serie A publishes the rules that decide final league positions, including tie-breakers. The BBC's own reporting on Como is a starting point for the club's recent history.

Frequently asked questions

How did Como end up in Serie D?

Como fell to Serie D through Italy's process for clubs that fail financially, not through a long run of relegations. When a professional club cannot register, Italian football's rules allow a new company to carry on the city's football tradition, usually starting in Serie D. The debts and professional status stay with the old entity. The new club keeps the identity and has to win promotion back up through each division on the pitch.

How does a Serie A club qualify for the Champions League?

A Serie A club qualifies by finishing high enough in the domestic league table. UEFA gives Italy a set number of Champions League places based on its association coefficient, which reflects how Italian clubs have done in Europe recently. Associations whose clubs performed best in the previous season can also earn extra places. A club cannot buy or apply for entry. Its final league position decides whether it qualifies.

What is the Champions League league phase?

The league phase is the opening stage of the current Champions League format, and it replaced the old groups of four. All the clubs sit in one table, and each plays eight matches against eight different opponents chosen by a seeded draw. Clubs near the top go straight into the knockout rounds. Those in the middle positions play an extra knockout play-off. Clubs at the bottom are eliminated.

Why do new Champions League clubs often get harder draws?

Seeding for the league phase depends mainly on club coefficients, which measure a club's own recent results in European competition. A club making its debut, or returning after a long gap, has little or no recent European record. It therefore tends to be placed in a lower pot, which usually means facing stronger opponents in the draw. This shows the lack of recent history, not a judgement on the club's current quality.

What is the BBC's lesson for Manchester United?

The BBC presents Como's rise as a lesson for Manchester United in a European context. The source material does not set out the details of that comparison. It is best read as a point about how a club is built and run: how recruitment, coaching and spending fit together. It should not be read as a claim about any particular match or scoreline.

Sources and further reading

• BBC Sport: the original report on Como's rise and the comparison with Manchester United
• UEFA: competition regulations for the Champions League league phase, seeding and allocation of places
• UEFA: financial sustainability regulations for clubs taking part in European competition
• Italian Football Federation (FIGC): rules on club admission and the restart of clubs that fail to register