All football fixtures that were scheduled for Monday in Italy, have been called off following the death of Pope Francis.
The 88-year-old’s death was confirmed by the Vatican earlier in the day.
And as a mark of respect to the Pope, who is also called the Bishop of Rome, all senior men’s and Under-20 top-flight games were cancelled.
“Following the passing of the Holy Father, the Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A announces that the matches scheduled for Monday of the Serie A Enilive and Primavera 1 Championships are postponed including Italy’s topflight, Serie A, said in a statement.
There were due to be four Serie A fixture across Easter Monday starting with Torino vs Udinese (11.30am, BST).
After that, Cagliari was scheduled to play Fiorentina (2pm), before Genoa vs Lazio (5pm) and Parma vs Juventus (7.45pm) concluding the action.
In Primavera 1 the three now-postponed games were Roma U-20s vs Udinese U-20s (11am), Monza U-20s vs Sassuolo U-20s and Sampdoria U-20s vs Torino U-20s.
The matches will now be played on Wednesday, 23 April and kick off at 17:30 BST.
Pope Francis was elected to lead the Catholic Church in 2013, replacing Pope Benedict XVI.
The 88-year-old was a known football fan and had supported Argentine side San Lorenzo since he was a child.
A tribute from the club read: “Our hearts ache. Pope Francis has left this world, but he will never leave our hearts.
“An honorary member of our club, his passion for San Lorenzo always moved us especially, and unites us in a constant prayer for his soul.
“He celebrated every achievement with us with enormous generosity, receiving the delegations that visited him in the Vatican during his papacy.”
A number of Serie A clubs also posted tributes to the Pope following his passing.
“A loss that deeply saddens our city and the entire world,” a Roma statement read.
“His faith, his humility, his courage and his dedication have touched the hearts of millions of people, making him a moral reference of our time.”
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
