Jakarta. Italian football club Como 1907 is set to compete in Italy's Serie A league next season after securing a 1-1 draw against Cosenza Calcio in the final Serie B match at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on Friday.

This result secured Como the 2nd position in Serie B, earning them promotion to Serie A next season alongside Parma, who had already secured the Serie B championship this season.

Como, owned by Indonesia's wealthiest family, the Hartono Family, which owns Bank Central Asia and the cigarette giant Djarum, has made significant strides in Italian football.

"Como is a historic club, 112 years old. Our crucial period was in the 1980s and 1990s. We were called the Italian Factory. Some of our alumni are Gianluca Zambrotta, Marco Tardelli, Stefano Borgonovo," said Enrico Levrini, a historian of Italian league clubs, in a documentary series titled "Como 1907: The Real Story".

Budi and Bambang Hartono, brothers of Indonesia's wealthiest family, purchased Como through their company, SENT Entertainment, in 2019 when the club was still competing in Serie D.

The Hartono family's acquisition of Como 1907 surprised many as it was unexpected. Even major media outlets overlooked this surprising news.

Now, Como boasts one of the richest ownership groups in Italian football, with Arsenal legends Thierry Henry and Cesc Fàbregas also among the shareholders.

Como fans, curious about their new owners, the Hartono family, and eager for information about the Indonesian family, searched online.

In the documentary, a fan named Andrea Villa expressed surprise upon learning that Como's new owner was a prominent Indonesian company. Villa wondered how it was possible for an Indonesian company to invest in their football club.

Additionally, another fan emphasized that what mattered most was the new owners' commitment to the club's progress, regardless of their nationality.

Another fan stated, "The most important thing is not whether you know football or not. Whether you're American or not, it's important to know that in Como you need to win."

The Hartono family acquired Como for a modest amount. They bought the football club for €850,000, or approximately Rp 5 billion, on April 4, 2019. Additionally, they immediately paid off the club's €150,000 debt upon acquisition.

After that, the Hartono family appointed Michael Gandler to handle business and other activities at Como. Gandler was previously the Marketing Manager of Inter Milan when another Indonesian businessman, Erick Thohir, owned it.

Gandler's role at Como was vastly different from his role at Inter Milan, as Como was a struggling club. However, like the Hartono family, Gandler believed Como had a special history.

"The fact is, despite the condition of the stadium and the history of bankruptcy, there is something very special about Como. That's what made us buy this club," he said.

Under the Hartono family's ownership, Como showed significant improvement, earning the admiration of its fans.

Since being owned by the Hartono family, Como has performed exceptionally well. In 2018, they were promoted to Serie C, and two years later, they were promoted to Serie B.

Next season, Como will compete in Serie A, the top league in Italy.

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