Argentina halts football to honor Pope Francis

Argentina’s Football Association (AFA) has suspended all scheduled matches on Monday in honor of Pope Francis, a passionate supporter of football and a lifelong fan of Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo.

In a heartfelt tribute, the AFA stated, “Argentine football says goodbye to you wrapped in deep sorrow,” reflecting the nation’s grief over the Pope’s passing.

All matches have been postponed by a day, and a minute’s silence will be observed at upcoming fixtures throughout the week.

Pope Francis, born in Buenos Aires in 1936, made history as the first Latin American pope. He passed away on Monday at the age of 88.

“Francis was not only a spiritual reference, but also a footballing one, and met with players, leaders and football legends, such as the captain of the Argentine national team, Lionel Messi, and Diego Armando Maradona,” the association said.

“He never hid his passion for football and his unconditional love for San Lorenzo de Almagro,” it added.

In a memoir, Francis spoke of Maradona’s controversial “Hand of God” goal in Argentina’s 1986 World Cup soccer quarter-final against England.

When Maradona visited him at the Vatican years later, “I asked him, jokingly, ‘So, which is the guilty hand?’” the pope recalled.