Fiorentina’s match at Atalanta postponed over manager’s health

Fiorentina’s match with Atalanta has been postponed after the club’s general manager Giuseppe “Joe” Barone was taken ill, Serie A confirmed on Sunday.

In a statement, Italy’s top flight said that the fixture, which was due to kick off at 1800 local time (1700 GMT) had been moved “to a later date” yet to be confirmed.

Asked by AFP, Serie A confirmed that the matched had been postponed due to Barone’s illness, which Italian media report may have been a heart attack.

The Gazzetta Dello Sport report that Barone was whisked to Milan’s San Raffaele Hospital from the Bergamo hotel where Fiorentina stayed pre-match.

Barone, who was born in Sicily in 1966 but moved to New York City when he was a child, is a long-time colleague of Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso.

Fiorentina are eighth in Serie A, four points behind Atalanta who sit in sixth and the division’s Europa Conference League spot.