Official: Inter-Roma postponed to Sunday amid rescheduling chaos by Lega Serie A | OneFootball

Inter’s home clash against Roma has been officially postponed to Sunday, April 27, due to the national mourning announced for Pope Francis’ funeral.

This comes despite earlier suggestions that Lega Serie A might make an exception and keep the match on Saturday to avoid depriving the Nerazzurri of valuable rest time ahead of their Champions League clash with Barcelona.

Italy’s Minister for Civil Protection and Sea Policies, Nello Musumeci, announced on Tuesday morning that Saturday’s matches would not take place, following confirmation that the funeral of Pope Francis—who passed away on Monday—would be held on the same day in Rome.

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN – OCTOBER 22: Pope Francis holds a gift of FC Bayern Muenchen during an private audience with the team of FC Bayern Muenchen in the Palace of the Vatican on October 22, 2014 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

This meant the postponement of the three Serie A Matchday 35 fixtures scheduled for that day: Como-Genoa, Inter-Roma, and Lazio-Parma.

Official: Lega Serie A postpones Inter-Roma and two more matches to Sunday amid rescheduling chaos

However, the decision sparked debate, particularly regarding the possibility of rescheduling Inter’s match to Sunday, which would lead to significantly reduced recovery time for the Nerazzurri ahead of their Champions League semifinal first leg away to Barcelona, set for Wednesday, April 30.

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 12: Simone Inzaghi, Head Coach of FC Internazionale, reacts during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Cagliari at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 12, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

As a result, reports emerging on Tuesday afternoon suggested that Lega Serie A was considering making an exception to avoid putting Inter at a disadvantage during such a crucial phase of their season. The decision was to keep the match on Saturday, but delay the kick-off by nearly three hours, moving it from 18:00 to 20:45 CET.

However, the situation changed later in the evening when Lega Serie A officially announced that Inter-Roma would now be played on Sunday, with a kick-off scheduled for 15:00 CET.

Como-Genoa and Lazio-Parma were also postponed to Sunday (kick-off at 12:30 CET) and Monday (kick-off at 20:45 CET), respectively.

Why the postponement of Inter-Roma generated chaos at Lega Serie A

Multiple reports published contradictory updates on Tuesday afternoon, as talks were reportedly ongoing between Lega Serie A and Inter to find the best possible solution.

With a crucial Champions League clash against Barcelona approaching next week, and a Coppa Italia Derby della Madonnina scheduled for tomorrow, it was suggested that the Nerazzurri were considering postponing their home match against Roma to another weekend, potentially even beyond mid-May.

However, that scenario was ruled out by Lega Serie A, which considered it potentially damaging to the integrity of the league—especially with Inter and Napoli currently tied at the top of the table.

While keeping the match on Saturday was initially considered, granting an exemption from the national mourning protocol exclusively to the Nerazzurri was seen as likely to further inflame tensions in an already tight and heated Scudetto race.

The final decision means there will be 78 hours between Inter’s kick-off against Roma and their away Champions League match against Barcelona.