Serie A postpones games after pope's death amid tributes for Francis
Monday's four scheduled Serie A matches have been postponed in the wake of the death of Pope Francis earlier in the day.
"Following the passing of His Holiness, Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A can confirm that today's league games in Serie A ... have been postponed. The date of the rearranged fixtures will be announced in due course," the league said on X.
Monday's fixtures were Torino v Udinese, Cagliari v Fiorentina, Genoa v Lazio and Parma v Juventus.
The Vatican said that Pope Francis, who led the Catholic Church for 12 years, died on Monday morning at age 88.
In what turned out to be his last public appearance, Francis emerged briefly on the balcony in front of thousands gathered in St Peter's Square on Sunday to deliver an Easter blessing.
Argentine national Francis was close to football, and record champions Juve said on X that the club "shares in the condolences of the Pontiff's passing."
Lazio president Claudio Lotito said in a statement: "I had the honour and privilege of meeting Pope Francis personally on several occasions: in those moments of dialogue, I was able to appreciate his extraordinary humanity, sensitivity and authentic closeness to the world of sport and the values it expresses.
"We will always remember with gratitude his special attention to sport as an instrument of brotherhood and education of the new generations."
The other club from the capital, Roma, said: "Roma joins in mourning the passing of Pope Francis, a loss that deeply saddens our city and the entire world.
"His faith, humility, courage and dedication touched the hearts of millions, making him a moral compass of our time and beyond.
"His legacy of peace and solidarity will remain an enduring example. Our thoughts go out to all those who continue to be inspired by his unwavering values of communication and brotherhood of Rome."
The former president of world governing body FIFA, Joseph Blatter, also paid tribute to Pope Francis.
"The Holy Father was not only a friend of humanity and an impressive personality. He was also a football expert. It was a great honour to meet him personally in the Vatican. Rest in peace. You live on in our hearts and memories," Blatter said on X.
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