ROME -- A decision by UEFA this week to allow a Serie A game between AC Milan and Como to be played in Australia in February is drawing heated responses from one prominent Rossoneri player and the Italian league's CEO.

Milan midfielder Adrien Rabiot described flying 20 hours each way for the game in Perth, which is in a time zone six hours ahead of Italy's, during a key month of the season as "completely crazy."

On Wednesday, Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo suggested that Rabiot, "like all soccer players who earn millions, forgets that he's paid to carry out a function, which is playing soccer," adding that the NFL, NBA, Tour de France and Giro d'Italia go abroad regularly: "This is done to strengthen the product, not weaken it."

On Monday, UEFA also decided reluctantly to allow

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