Serie A matches postponed after Astori passes away

All seven Serie A matches on Sunday have been postponed following the death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori.

The club announced the 31-year-old had died early on Sunday, just hours before they were due to face Udinese away from home.

That game was called off after the news, while the match between Genoa and Cagliari, scheduled to kick off at 1230 local time, was also postponed shortly before it was due to begin.

A statement posed by Serie A’s official Twitter account later said: “All matches scheduled for today [Sunday] are postponed, as a sign of mourning.”

According to local reports in Udine, Astori passed away in his sleep at the La di Moret hotel, where Fiorentina where staying ahead of the match.

Our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of @acffiorentina captain and Italian international Davide Astori, who passed away suddenly last night. pic.twitter.com/j8X2ZKzv4A

— UEFA (@UEFA) March 4, 2018

Clubs and players from Italy and abroad have been posting messages of condolence on social media.

The derby between AC Milan and Inter was among the games which were scheduled to take place in Italy’s top flight.