Serie A postpones matches due to Pope's death

The four Serie A matches scheduled to take place on Monday have been postponed to a later date following the death of Pope Francis, the Italian top flight said in a statement.

Udinese's game at Torino, Fiorentina's visit to Cagliari, Genoa's match against Lazio and Juventus' trip to Parma will be rescheduled to an unspecified date.

The games will have to fit into a congested finish to the season, potentially clashing with the Champions League semifinals.

Serie A also postponed matches in its youth league.

The Italian football federation (FIGC) announced that all games across professional and amateur football on Monday would be rescheduled to a later date.

The FIGC hailed the Pope as "an example of Christian charity and dignity in suffering, always close to the world of football".

The Vatican said Pope Francis, a keen football fan, died aged 88 on Monday.