Following devastating news from the Vatican early in the morning, all Serie A games scheduled for Monday, April 21, have been postponed. Cardinal Kevin Farrell confirmed Pope Francis’s death in a formal message posted on the Vatican’s Telegram channel.
“This morning at 07:35 local time (05:35 GMT) the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father,” said the statement. Pope Francis, whose real name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was released from the hospital in March following a battle with an infection that progressed to pneumonia.
Following the 88-year-old’s death, Italy and the Italian sports community are now going through a period of mourning.
Release Statement for Series A Following Fixture Postponement
Following the death of Pope Francis, Italian sport has entered a period of sorrow.
The scheduled matches between Torino and Udinese, Cagliari and Fiorentina, Genoa and Lazio, and Parma and Juventus will no longer take place, according to a statement Serie A made on social media on Monday morning. The entire statement can be found below.
Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A can certify that today’s Serie A and Primavera 1 league games have been postponed due to the departure of His Holiness. In due time, the date of the rescheduled fixtures will be revealed.
Juventus also joined in expressing their sorrow and confirmed in a statement that their match against Parma had been postponed. “Tonight’s match against Parma has been postponed until a later date following the death of Pope Francis,” the notification stated. “Juventus shares in the condolences of the Pontiff’s passing.”
Torino was scheduled to host Udinese, and the Serie A early kickoff was only two hours away. Prior to Lazio’s match against Genoa later this afternoon, Cagliari was due to host Fiorentina in the afternoon. For the evening match, Juventus was also scheduled to go to Parma.
Sampdoria vs. Torino, Monza vs. Sassuolo, and Roma vs. Udinese are among the postponed Primavera 1 Under-20 league games. All weekend athletic events in Italy were cancelled following the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005, and this practice has persisted ever since.
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