Serie A has announced the postponement of three fixtures originally set for Saturday, including the high-profile clash between Inter Milan and Roma, to avoid coinciding with the funeral of Pope Francis.
The Vatican confirmed that the funeral will take place on Saturday, prompting the Italian government to declare five days of national mourning.
Inter’s fixture against Roma, a key match in the Serie A title race, will now be played on Sunday at 1300 GMT.
The Nerazzurri are level on points with Napoli at the top of the table and are competing on multiple fronts, including the Champions League and Italian Cup, making the rescheduling particularly challenging for their already congested calendar.
The two other affected matches are Como v. Genoa, which has been moved to Sunday at 1030 GMT, and Lazio’s home tie against Parma, which will now take place on Monday.
The adjustment was made to prevent supporters from converging on Rome’s Stadio Olimpico during the Pope’s funeral, given its proximity, around three kilometres from Vatican City.
The surrounding districts, Prati and Della Vittoria, are frequently overwhelmed by traffic from both football fans and tourists on matchdays.
The late pontiff, who passed away on Monday at age 88 following a stroke, had been recuperating from a bout of double pneumonia that had led to a five-week hospitalisation.
In light of his passing, Italy’s Olympic Committee (CONI), the highest sporting authority in the country, encouraged all sports federations to suspend their Saturday events and requested a minute’s silence at sporting events held during the national mourning period.
Inter Milan, aiming for a treble this season, have already played 50 matches and face a heavy fixture list that includes the Italian Cup semi-final second leg against AC Milan and a Champions League tie with Barcelona. Their season will stretch even further due to the revamped Club World Cup taking place in the United States.
In a related adjustment, four matches from the last round of fixtures initially planned for Monday will now be played on Wednesday at 1830 local time (1630 GMT), including Juventus’ trip to Parma as they continue their pursuit of a Champions League place.
