Fiorentina retire Davide Astori’s No. 13 shirt

Fiorentina have decided to retire the No. 13 shirt worn by Davide Astori following the tragic death of their captain at the weekend.

Astori’s former club Cagliari, for whom he played 174 games over six seasons, have also agreed no longer to use the No. 13, which he also wore while he played for them.

A tweet from Fiorentina on Tuesday confirmed the move “in honour of Davide Astori’s memory.”


Cagliari, who have changed their Twitter profile to read ‘Ciao Davide,’ also tweeted that “in honour of his memory and to make the recollections of Davide Astori indelible, ACF Fiorentina and Cagliari Calcio have decided mutually to retire the shirt with the number 13. #DA13.”

Meanwhile, the Serie A fixtures postponed at the weekend in the light of Astori’s death have been rescheduled for April 3 and 4, the Lega Serie A have announced.

All of Sunday’s matches were called off after the news of Astori’s death broke. Bologna vs. SPAL, Lazio vs. Juventus and Napoli vs. Roma had all been played on Saturday.

The remaining seven fixtures, apart from the Milan derby, will now be played on April 3 and 4 with the Lega rejecting the alternative of March 14 since this comes too soon after Astori’s death.

“Fiorentina have asked, for emotional reasons, not to return to Udine to play so soon,” the Lega’s extraordinary commissioner Giovanni Malago said. “The seven games of the eighth round of matches of the second half of the season will therefore be played on April 3 and 4, except for the Milan derby, for which we will have to wait for Milan’s next round in the Europa League.”

Should Milan beat Arsenal and reach the quarterfinals of the Europa League, they would be in action again on April 5, meaning another date would have to be found for the derby, which in turn could force the final of the Coppa Italia to be put back.

Milan will face Juventus in the cup final on May 9, but that date could instead be selected for the derby, should the Rossoneri continue in Europe.

However, postponing the cup would also be dependent on whether Juve reach the final of the Champions League, which is due to be played on May 28. That week would be the alternative for the Coppa Italia final should Milan’s progress in Europe prevent them from facing Inter in early April.

Juve face Tottenham Hotspur in the second leg of their round-of-16 Champions League clash on Wednesday after the two sides drew 2-2 in Turin last month.

That will be the first game involving an Italian club since Astori’s death, and with many of the squad due to attend his funeral in Florence on Thursday, it will be an emotional occasion.

Midfielder Blaise Matuidi says they will be motivated to win for the former Fiorentina captain.

“I send my condolences to David Astori’s family,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “I didn’t know him, but many of my teammates did and they are saddened. I’ve realised that not only have we lost a great footballer, but also a great person.

“It’s never easy to play again after such a tragedy, but football tries to move on, and we do so also in his honour.”