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Como 1907 president Mirwan Suwarso has announced an extraordinary gesture ahead of the club’s historic UEFA Champions League debut against RB Leipzig.

The Como president has chosen to give up the board of directors’ VIP seating section and pass those tickets on to the club’s oldest and most loyal supporters for the match.

When the Italian side host their German opponents at the newly redeveloped Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Thursday evening, the executive box will not be taken up by corporate dignitaries or billionaire owners.

Instead, Suwarso and leading board members have surrendered their places to lifelong supporters born in 1950 or earlier, paying tribute to those who stayed with the club through its darkest period and non-league football long before its fairytale rise to Europe’s elite level.

Since 2019, Como have been owned by the Indonesian conglomerate Djarum Group.

Widely regarded as the richest owners in Italian football, the family installed Suwarso as president to run operations, creating a corporate structure that has proved hugely successful in recent years.

Suwarso posted a message on his official channels which said: “The stadium is completely sold out. With reduced capacity and a limited number of tickets available, unfortunately, we cannot accommodate everyone who would have liked to be there.

“However, several club directors and I have decided to give up our seats for this match. We want them to be allocated to the fans who have waited the longest: supporters born in 1950 or earlier, who have followed Como through every division and every era.

“If you know a long-time Como fan born in 1950 or earlier who deserves to be at the stadium on Thursday, write to us at Community@comofootball.com.

“We will be honoured to give them our seat.”

Former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas is the head coach and also owns a minority stake alongside high-profile investors, reportedly including Thierry Henry and former defender Raphael Varane, who sits on the board.

Reborn in Serie D after bankruptcy in 2017, Como steadily worked their way up the Italian league pyramid following the 2019 takeover, sealing promotion back to Serie A in 2024 after a 21-year absence.

Under Fabregas, Como outperformed expectations in Italian football last season by finishing in the top four and securing automatic qualification for the Champions League.

Thursday’s match takes the club into completely new territory. Before this campaign, Como had never played in a major UEFA competition, with their only previous international experience coming in the 1980/81 Mitropa Cup.

Now, supporters who lived through the obscurity of the fourth tier will watch from the best seats in the stadium as Como step onto Europe’s biggest stage.