Dar es Salaam, April 22 -- ROME: MONDAYS four scheduled matches in the top flight of Italian football have been postponed following the death of Pope Francis.

The Vatican announced on Monday morning that Pope Francis had died at the age of 88, having recently been discharged from hospital following five weeks of treatment for an infection.

Four Serie A matches – Torino v Udinese, Cagliari v Fiorentina, Genoa v Lazio and Parma v Juventus – had been scheduled to be played on Easter Monday, which is a national holiday in Italy.

The governing body which oversees the Italian top flight said the fixtures would be rearranged in due course. Pope Francis was elected to lead the Catholic Church in 2013, replacing Pope Benedict XVI. ...