Report – Why Inter Milan Decided Against Playing Serie A Clash Vs Roma On Same Day As Pope Francis Funeral | OneFootball

Inter Milan decided against playing their Serie A match against Roma on Saturday, the same day as the funeral of Pope Francis.

Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, report that in the end the Nerazzurri decided to respect the day of mourning and accepted moving the match to Sunday.

Yesterday proved to be a hectic day for Inter Milan behind the scenes.

The date for Inter’s Serie A showdown with Roma very much hung in the balance throughout the day.

The funeral for Pope Francis will be held on Saturday, after the head of the Catholic church passed away on Monday.

This has led to the postponement of all sporting activities in Italy that day.

Among these would have been Inter’s Serie A clash with Roma. They host the Giallorossi this weekend, with the original kickoff for the match at 18.00 CET on Saturday.

And on paper, it was important for Inter to play the match sooner rather than later.

The Nerazzurri face Barcelona in the first leg of a Champions League semifinal on Wednesday. Therefore, they will be very keen to get as much time as possible to rest and recover ahead of that match.

Why Inter Milan Decided To Accept Moving Roma Clash To Saturday

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 08: FC Internazionale coach Simone Inzaghi looks on before the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and AC Monza at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on March 08, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Behind the scenes, Inter Milan and the Lega Serie A worked to find a solution.

There were several rumours and reports throughout the day regarding the probable outcome.

The Gazzetta report that Inter would have considered moving the match against Roma to a later date.

However, this would have been problematic due to a lack of available dates. The only realistic possibility would have been May the 21st – hardly ideal.

The Lega Serie A pushed back on the idea of moving a fixture that could prove crucial in the run-in of the title race between Inter and Napoli to that date.

After some hectic discussions, it initially appeared as though Inter could get an exemption. There were reports that the Nerazzurri’s Serie A match against Roma would indeed go ahead on Saturday.

However, the kickoff time would be at 20.45 CET rather than at 18.00.

But in the end, the Gazzetta reports, Inter decided against it.

The newspaper detail that the Nerazzurri players, coaching staff, and club directors held a meting. They discussed their options.

And in the end, the Inter players and staff arrived at the decision not to play on the Saturday.

The Nerazzurri squad and everyone on the club decided to respect the day of mourning on Pope Francis’s future, and avoid any controversy.