Italian soccer will stop due to the funeral of Pope Francis
The Italian Serie A will not take place on Saturday as the Holy Church will host the funeral of Pope Francis after he passed away on Monday at age 88. On Tuesday, the President of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) asked the Italian FA to suspend all sporting events scheduled for Saturday “in respect of the funeral of His Holiness Pope Francis.” The Italian league made it official with a new schedule, which also includes the game between Inter and AS Roma that will be played on Sunday at San Siro at 9 a.m. ET, despite the team coached by Simone Inzaghi facing FC Barcelona on Wednesday, April 30, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals, and will only have around 72 hours between the two matches.
After the passing of the Pope, there are nine days of mourning, then the funeral takes place at the St. Peter Basilica before the start of a new conclave that will elect the new bishop of Rome, with multiple politicians coming from every part of the world, including the President of the United States, Donald Trump, as the White House announced on Tuesday. This is a particularly eventful year as well, as the church is celebrating the Catholic Jubilee, the first since 2000, further heightening the security and logistical burden on the Italian government and Rome’s metropolitan government. It’s possible that other games may get postponed, especially in Rome involving Roma or Lazio. Keep an eye on the Coppa Italia final that takes place on May 14 at the Stadio Olimpico as the conclave is expected to start two weeks after the passing of Pope Francis.
