How an Indonesian Family Turned Como 1907 into a Champions League Club
An Italian football club acquired by Indonesia's Hartono family for around €850,000 has now beaten Manchester United 4-1 in the UEFA Champions League. The club is Como 1907, which was still competing in Serie D, the fourth tier of Italian football, when the family took over in 2019.
Como's journey to European football's biggest stage began with a rather different idea. When Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono acquired the club in April 2019, their initial goal was not to build a team capable of competing with Europe's biggest sides.
Instead, they wanted to turn Como into the setting for a television programme featuring young Indonesian footballers. That plan eventually changed as Como climbed through the Italian leagues.
Under the Hartono family's ownership, the club gradually developed into a business built around football, tourism, and the international appeal of Lake Como. The journey took them back to Serie A in 2024 and, two years later, into the Champions League.
From the Hartono Family Business to Italian Football The acquisition was made through Sent Entertainment, a company affiliated with Djarum Group, which is owned by Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono. The two are sons of Oei Wie Gwan, who founded Djarum in 1951.
Djarum started with around 10 employees before growing into one of the world's largest clove cigarette manufacturers. The Hartono family later expanded into banking after acquiring a controlling stake in Bank Central Asia (BCA) following the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s.
On 1 March 2026, Forbes ranked Robert Budi as Indonesia's third-richest person, with an estimated fortune of US$19.6 billion. Michael ranked fourth with US$18.9 billion.
He died in Singapore on 19 March 2026, aged 86. Despite his passing, the Hartono family remained committed to its ownership of Como.
Young Indonesian Players Were Part of the Original Plan The idea of buying Como was developed by Mirwan Suwarso, whose background was in advertising, television, and film production. He had previously been involved with Garuda Select, a programme that brought young Indonesian footballers to train and compete against European football academies.