Fiorentina's Serie A match against Atalanta on Sunday was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances involving the team's general manager. Reports from Italian media indicated that Fiorentina's general manager, aged 58, was rushed to a hospital in Milan after falling ill at the team hotel in Bergamo, just hours before kickoff.
The match, which was originally scheduled to start at 6 p.m. local time, was postponed at the request of Fiorentina. The Italian league confirmed the postponement and stated that the match would be rescheduled for a later date.
This incident comes as a somber reminder for Fiorentina, as it occurred less than two weeks after the sixth anniversary of the tragic death of their former captain, Davide Astori. Astori passed away in his hotel room after suffering a cardiac arrest before a match against Udinese.
General manager Joe Barone, who was born in Italy but raised in the United States, was the focal point of the unexpected turn of events that led to the postponement of the match. The exact nature of his illness has not been disclosed.