Soccer Team From George Clooney’s Holiday Town Donates Tournament Winnings To Flood Relief

Soccer Team From George Clooney’s Holiday Town Donates Tournament Winnings To Flood Relief

The world-renowned beauty of Italy’s Lake Como has been turned into a disaster area after a rainstorm pummeled the eponymous city and surrounding towns.

With tens of millions in property damage, the local soccer team—currently experiencing a fairytale season—announced ahead of their match on Wednesday night in the Italian Cup that all proceeds would be donated to flood relief.

Manager Cesc Fabregas made the announcement on Instagram Tuesday, while the team was preparing for a match against Sassuolo.

“My thoughts are with everyone in Como today. Seeing our beautiful lake flood and the damage it has brought is heartbreaking,” he added.

“Como is more than just a city to me, it is home, it is family, it is community. To all the people, families and businesses affected, please know you are not alone.”

In Europe, soccer teams move up and down divisions every season based on performance, with the worst teams dropping down a division, and the best teams being promoted to the division above.

After spending 2003-04 in Serie A, Italy’s top-flight competition, Como had a precipitous fall to the point that it had to be liquidated in 2005 after declaring bankruptcy. Almost two decades would go by before the team from George Clooney’s holiday town made it back to Serie A.

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They did so in no small part thanks to Fabregas’ exceptional coaching, earning promotion in 2024, and with it an enormous increase in revenues stemming from their games being broadcast internationally rather than only in Italy.

That new found wealth hasn’t spoiled the ownership, however, who have opted to hand over the match day revenues to their community as it struggles to clean up the piazzas and roads from landslide debris and flooding.