In Serie A, further matches have been postponed following the death of Pope Francis. One of the clubs affected is Inter Milan.
The death of Pope Francis continues to cause disruption in Serie A. After the head of the Catholic Church passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88, the four matches scheduled for Monday were initially postponed to Wednesday. Now there are further changes to the already tight schedule.
As Nello Musumeci, Italy’s Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policy, announced on Tuesday, all matches scheduled for next Saturday have been canceled. On that day, Pope Francis will be buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square.
The matches affected are Como vs. CFC Genoa, Lazio Rome vs. Parma Calcio and, most controversially, Inter Milan vs. AS Rome. For Inter, the home game against the current sixth-placed team is not only about gaining more points in the tight championship race with SSC Napoli, but also about preparing for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against FC Barcelona, which will take place the following Wednesday, April 30 (9 p.m.).
Inter now at a disadvantage against Barca
The new dates have now been set – with unpleasant consequences for Inter. Coach Simone Inzaghi’s team must make up their match against Roma on Sunday (3 p.m.), giving them one day less to recover than Barca, who face arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday evening (10 p.m.).
However, due to the Champions League matches and possible participation in the Coppa Italia final, Inter had few alternatives. This Wednesday (9 p.m.), Inter will face neighbors AC Milan in the second leg of the cup semi-final. According to reports, Inter favored a rescheduled date in May, but the league reportedly rejected this in order not to jeopardize the integrity of the Serie A competition.
Lazio vs. Parma will not be played until Monday (8:45 p.m.). Both clubs were already affected by match cancellations on Easter Monday. Lazio will now play away at CFC Genoa on Wednesday (6:30 p.m.), while Parma will host Juventus Turin at the same time.
Como’s match against CFC Genoa has been postponed from Saturday to Sunday afternoon (12:30 p.m.).
