Como soccer team is attracting more than just celebrities to Italy’s famous lake

ROME (AP) — George Clooney’s villa is a 20-minute drive up the lake shore road from Como’s stadium.

Kate Beckinsale was a spectator in the stands last weekend.

Celebrity spottings and weddings have long been a pastime on Italy’s famous lake, which is known for its majestic views of the Alps.

Now there’s another reason to visit: The local soccer team is making rapid progress in its first season back in the top division in more than two decades.

Since Indonesian tobacco billionaire brothers Roberto Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono purchased the club five years ago in Serie D, the club has also been attracting soccer celebrities.

Como coach Cesc Fabregas and former France striker Thierry Henry — both World Cup winners and former teammates at Arsenal — are minority owners.

“We chose to invest in Como because investing exclusively in soccer comes with unpredictable risks,” said Mirwan Suwarso, who manages Como for the Hartonos. “Here we’re relying on a brand: We want to make this the top soccer tourism destination in the world.”

The heavy foreign investment has attracted a mix of well-known veteran players and rising prospects.

Veterans such as former Liverpool and Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina and former Barcelona captain Sergi Roberto. Plus former France and Real Madrid center back Raphael Varane, who then decided to retire but plans to remain with the club in another role.

Alberto Moreno, a 32-year-old left back, has played every minute of the opening six Serie A matches after signing as a free agent in July after leaving Villarreal — having previously played for Liverpool.

Then there’s Nico Paz, a 20-year-old attacking midfielder signed from Real Madrid; and Alieu Fadera, 22-year-old Gambian winger signed from Genk.

Add in Como-born striker Patrick Cutrone (formerly of AC Milan), who is tied atop the league scoring chart with four goals in six games, and it’s clear that there’s a mix of players not usually seen at a promoted club.

“Como is the revelation of the season,” Napoli coach Antonio Conte said before the Serie A leader hosts Como on Friday.

In Como’s last three matches, it held Champions League side Bologna to 2-2, won at Champions League side Atalanta 3-2 and beat Hellas Verona 3-2 to move into the top half of the table in 10th.

“The ambitions are high,” Cutrone said. “But the first objective remains avoiding relegation. Then we’ll see about the rest.”

The club is collaborating with Lake Como Tourism to help attract more visitors to the area. Already 40% of Como’s tickets are being purchased by foreigners.

“But we also wanted to award our most devoted fans who have been season-ticket holders since Como was in Serie C,” Suwarso said in Corriere della Sera. “For them, we haven’t increased the ticket prices from last season.”

Visiting the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona will be extra special for Fabregas, who will be facing one of his former coaches.

Fabregas played under Conte for two seasons at Chelsea. They won the English Premier League together the first year and the FA Cup the second season.

But before the trophies came, Conte told Fabregas when he arrived in London that he might want to think about finding another club because the coach didn’t anticipate using him much.

“It was the first time in my career, or maybe in my life, that someone had said something like that to me,” Fabregas said this week, adding he took the message as motivation to work harder.

“And after four months I was playing all the time,” Fabregas said. “He made me suffer in training. I learned a ton from him. It was a different method — a type of soccer I had never experienced before. Now I use his teachings when things get tough. He taught me a lot and I thank him for that.”

Conte added, “I always thought he could be a coach. He was curious and was always trying to learn.”

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Como's Patrick Cutrone plays the ball following the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Como at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 24 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Cesc Fabregas smiles following the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Como at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 24 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Gabriel Strefezza celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Como at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 24 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Patrick Cutrone kisses the jersey as he celebrates scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Como and Verona at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium in Como, northern Italy, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.(Antonio Saia/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Andrea Belotti celebrates scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Como and Verona at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium in Como, northern Italy, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.(Antonio Saia/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Nico Paz, right, and Sergi Roberto celebrate after Paz scored during the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Como at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 24 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Cesc Fabregas is congratulated following the Serie A soccer match between Atalanta and Como at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 24 , 2024. (Spada/LaPresse via AP)

Como's Patrick Cutrone celebrates scoring during a Serie A soccer match between Como and Verona at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium in Como, northern Italy, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024.(Antonio Saia/LaPresse via AP)

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) — Typhoon Krathon made landfall Thursday in Taiwan's major port city of Kaohsiung, bringing torrential rains and fierce winds to the island's south. Trees were brought down by high winds and roads were flooded, prompting the closure of schools and businesses.

Krathon made landfall in the industrial Siaogang district of Kaohsiung around 12:40 p.m., the Central Weather Administration said. It packed maximum sustained winds of 126 kph (78 mph) with gusts of 162 kph (101 mph).

The typhoon was forecast to move slowly north and weaken into a tropical depression by Friday before it reaches the capital, Taipei. It was expected to then head across the Taiwan Strait toward the Chinese coast. Winds were strong in Taipei on Thursday, but there was little rain.

Kaohsiung earlier urged its residents to take cover from potentially disastrous winds and rain, which tore down storefronts and flooded car parks but caused no reported loss of life.

The slow-moving typhoon, which approached Taiwan at a speed of about 4 kph (2.5 mph), doused eastern and southern parts of the island over the past five days, forcing thousands to evacuate from mountainous or low-lying areas. Two days of closures are believed to have taken a significant toll on the island's high-tech economy that relies heavily on foreign trade.

Gusts and heavy rains pelted empty streets in Kaohsiung, while life in Taipei, 350 kilometers (215 miles) to the north, was only slightly disrupted.

Many residents woke up Thursday to mobile phone alerts urging them to take shelter from the potentially dangerous winds. The weather administration posted a Facebook message warning Kaohsiung and Pingtung county residents not to go outside when the eye of the storm passes above their area and the weather calms briefly, because the winds would pick up again afterward.

Weather-related events attributed to Krathon injured at least 123 people around the island, according to Taiwan’s fire department. Two people died — one after driving into fallen rocks on the road in the southeastern Taitung county, and the other while trimming tree branches in the city of Hualien. Two others remained missing.

A fire at a hospital in Pingtung County killed at least nine people early Thursday. The deaths were attributed to smoke and the cause was under investigation. It was not immediately clear whether the blaze was related to the typhoon.

Thousands were evacuated from areas vulnerable to mudslides and landslides. Almost 40,000 troops were on standby to help with rescue efforts.

Mountainous areas in the island’s south have received up to 169 centimeters (5.5 feet) of rain over the past five days.

China's weather agency said some eastern and southern parts of Taiwan are set to receive extremely heavy rains of up to 40 centimeters (1.3 feet) over the next 24 hours.

Typhoons rarely hit Taiwan’s west coast, affecting instead the mountainous eastern side of the island.

Kaohsiung officials, in urging residents to be vigilant about the weather, recalled the destruction brought by Typhoon Thelma, which in 1977 badly damaged the city and caused 37 deaths.

Earlier in the week, Typhoon Krathon lashed northern Philippine islands, killing four people and displacing at least 5,000, officials said.

A man pedals through a flooded road as Typhoon Krathon makes landfall in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Trees are blown down the path of Love River Park as Typhoon Krathon makes landfall in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A man pushes a motorbike through a flooded road as Typhoon Krathon makes landfall in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A fallen signage lies on the pavement as as Typhoon Krathon makes landfall in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A view of Love River as Typhoon Krathon arrives in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A hotel staff prepares to move a human figure from the doorway to inside as Typhoon Krathon arrives in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A man rides in the wind and rain generated by Typhoon Krathon in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Traffic cones litter the pavement as Typhoon Krathon arrives in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A street view from a hotel that taped the glass of its front door as Typhoon Krathon arrives in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A woman struggles in the wind and rain generated by Typhoon Krathon in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Wind and rain blow through Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, as Typhoon Krathon arrives Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A man struggles in the heavy wind and rain generated by Typhoon Krathon in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A woman struggles with winds generated by Typhoon Krathon in Kaohsiung, Southern Taiwan, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A woman struggles with winds generated by Typhoon Krathon in Kaohsiung, Southern Taiwan, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A woman struggles with winds generated by Typhoon Krathon in Kaohsiung, Southern Taiwan, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)