By Andrew Dampf, sports writer AP
Rome (AP) – High -level football matches in Italy and Argentina were postponed after Pope Francis’ death on Monday.
Buenos Aires Club that the Argentinian pontiff supported throughout his life was also crying his most famous fan.
Football and the world of sport paid tribute after Francis’ death at 88.
All the sporting events planned for Easter Monday in Italy have been postponed, including four Serie A: Torino vs Udinese, Cagliari vs Fiorentina, Genoa vs Lazio and Parma against Juventus. The matches will now be played on Wednesday.
Similarly, three high -flying games in Argentina were postponed from Monday to Tuesday: Tiger against Belgrano, Argentinos Juniors against Barracas Central and Independent Rivadavia against Aldosivi. The games will be preceded by a minute of silence to cry Francis, who was the archbishop of Buenos Aires before being elected Pope.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he was “deeply saddened” by the Pope’s death.
“I had the privilege of spending time with him a few times, and he has always shared his enthusiasm for football and stressed the important role that our sport plays in society,” said Instagram. “All the prayers of everyone in football are with him.”
The president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, said: “We lose a great friend and supporter of the Olympic movement.” Bach added that “Francis’ support for the Mission of Peace and Solidarity of the Olympic Games and the numerous ICO refugee initiatives was unshakable.”
Pope and San Lorenzo
Francis’ passion for football became almost immediately known after being elected the first Latin American pope in 2013 when the Argentinian club San Lorenzo tweeted a photo of him while holding the crest of the team. He was even a member who carries club cards, with San Lorenzo ID n ° 88 235.
San Lorenzo is nicknamed “The Saints”.
“He has always been one of us,” said San Lorenzo in tribute to Instagram, remembering how Francis looked at his 1946 championship team like a boy.
San Lorenzo performed well after Francis was elected 266th Pope in March 2013. The team won a national title in 2013 and won the Copa Libertadores for the first time a year later. Club officials have traveled twice to the Vatican with trophies to thank Francis for his support.
A new planned stadium from San Lorenzo must be appointed for Francis.
In Italy, there were also suggestions that Francis supported Juventus since his family came from the Piedmont region where the Turin club is based. Francis’ father, Mario Bergoglio, was a basketball player.
Pope and Maradona
Francis met Countryman Diego Maradona twice as a pope. There was a special audience as part of a charity football match in 2014 when Maradona presented a football jersey to the pontiff, sporting the name “Francisco” – Spanish for Francis – and N ° 10 of Maradona.
“We all realize now that he is a (star),” said Maradona after another meeting in 2015. “I am the big fan of Francis.”
When Maradona died in 2020, Francis remembered great football in his prayers.
“A different, accessible and Argentinian Argentine pope,” said Lionel Messi, another big Argentinian football, on Instagram. “Thank you for making the world better. We will miss you. “
Record at 15 times the European football champion of Real Madrid also cried Francis in a message on Instagram.
During a meeting with the national teams of Argentina and Italy shortly after his elected official, Francis noted the influence of athletes, especially on young people, and told players to remember that “for better or for worse”, they were models. “Dear players, you are very popular. People follow you, and not only on the field but also,” he said. “It is a social responsibility.”
Francis has often greeted sports as a means of promoting solidarity and inclusion, especially for young people.
During a global conference on faith and sport in 2016, Francis implored managers to do a better job to keep corruption in the field and said that sports should be protected against manipulations and commercial abuses.
“Francis was a special pope, capable of lighting up in his time as the largest can,” said Gianluigi Buffon, the former Italian captain who met the Pope, on Instagram several times. “He showed us the way with great courage and has emined our souls. I will carry his example forever in my heart. ”
The sports writer AP Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo contributed.
Originally published:
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