Italian Football Matches Suspended As Nation Mourns Pope Francis

Italian football authorities have suspended all matches scheduled for Easter Monday in a gesture of mourning following the death of Pope Francis.

Fixtures across Serie A, Serie B, Serie C, and the Primavera youth league have officially been postponed after news broke that the Pope, a lifelong football enthusiast and the first Latin American head of the Roman Catholic Church, passed away at the age of 88 on Monday morning.

The postponed fixtures include the remaining ties of Serie A’s 33rd round. In a brief statement, the league said:

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

The Easter weekend featured a number of Serie A matches, but the remaining fixtures set for Easter Monday were postponed following the death of Pope Francis.

The postponed matches, Torino vs Udinese, Cagliari vs Fiorentina, Genoa vs Lazio, and Parma vs Juventus, were called off as part of a national period of mourning. 

Italian football authorities have yet to announce new dates, though the games must be played before the final round of the 2024–25 Serie A season, scheduled for 25 May.

Despite the pause, six matches took place earlier in the weekend. Como opened with a 3–0 win over Lecce, and Napoli claimed a narrow 1–0 victory against Monza. Roma continued their strong form with a 1–0 win over Hellas Verona on Saturday.

On Easter Sunday, Empoli and Venezia drew 2–2, Bologna defeated Inter 1–0, and Atalanta earned a 1–0 win away to Milan.

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