Football matches in Italy postponed after death of Pope Francis

All four Serie A matches scheduled to take place today have been postponed following the death of Pope Francis.

The Pope passed away aged 88 on Easter Monday and tributes are being paid across the globe for the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Francis – who was elected into the post in March 2013 after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI – appeared in front of huge crowds in the Vatican on Sunday.

But the Argentinian had been in poor health for some time and recently left Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he was admitted in February after experiencing breathing difficulties.

Today’s matches in the Italian top flight will all be rearranged, as well as those games that were due to take place in Primavera 1 – the country’s youth competition.

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Juventus were among the eight Serie A teams expecting to take to the field over the coming hours, with the 36-time champions preparing to face off against Parma at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.

‘Following the passing of His Holiness, Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A can confirm that today’s league games in Serie A and Primavera 1 have been postponed,’ a Serie A statement read this morning.

‘The date of the rearranged fixtures will be announced in due course.’

In a short statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Juventus confirmed the postponement of their clash with Parma and joined in sharing their condolences.

‘Tonight’s match against Parma has been postponed until a later date following the death of Pope Francis,’ the message said.

‘Juventus shares in the condolences of the Pontiff’s passing.’

Francis’ deep love of football was well-documented, with the late Pope known to be a loyal supporter of Argentinian club San Lorenzo de Almagro since childhood.

He remained a registered member of the Buenos Aires-based outfit until his death and attended a number high-profile sporting events throughout his 12-year papacy.

‘He wanted to know what football team I supported,’ Professor Anna Rowlands, who enjoyed a prestigious two-year secondment to the Vatican, explained when recalling her first conversation with Francis.

‘I said that I was from Manchester, and so I was a genuine, bona fide Mancunian, Manchester United fan by origin, to which he just sort of roared laughing and turned to his aide and said: “You see, she must have a sense of humour!”

‘And that was the first extended conversation I’d ever had with him. So his nature was to tease you slightly and to be good-humoured, and find a point of human connection with you.’

In 2014, Pope Francis was presented with the Copa Libertadores trophy after his beloved San Lorenzo won South American’s biggest club competition.

‘I am very happy about it, but, no, it is not a miracle,’ he said of San Lorenzo’s victory at the time.

‘For me, San Lorenzo was the team all my family supported. My father played in the basketball team and when we were kids, we sometimes went to the stadium with mum.’

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