Serie A Fixtures Cancelled As Mark Of Respect After Fiorentina Captain Astori Died In His Sleep

Fiorentina captain Davide Astori has died in his sleep ahead of their fixture against Udinese on Sunday.

Astori, a 31-year-old Italy international central defender, had been with the club since 2016 having previously played for Milan, Cagliari and Roma.

He had 14 international caps with and was a member of the squad that played in the 2013  Confederations Cup.

All of Sunday's Serie A fixtures have been postponed as a mark of respect.

One report from Italy said his team-mates broke down his door when Astori failed to come down for breakfast or answer his phone.

'The lad did not turn up to the team breakfast at 9.30am and he was usually the first to arrive,' said Fiorentina spokesman Arturo Mastronardi.

'So they went to check on him. Davide was sleeping in a room on his own. We still don't know the cause of death. The Magistrate came here and the body has been taken for an autopsy, which I think will be conducted today. We have no further details.

'The last to see Davide was Marco Sportiello. Some players sleep in single rooms, some in doubles.

'His family is from Bergamo, so his parents were alerted by telephone, whereas his partner was visited in person in Florence by some of the directors who were in the city.

Astori leaves a wife Francesca and two-year-old daughter.

-Dailymail