The Serie A match between Fiorentina and Atalanta was postponed an hour before kick-off as Fiorentina general manager Joe Barone was rushed to hospital.
Fiorentina general manager taken ill, according to reports
Barone was suddenly taken ill at the team hotel in Bergamo before the game and was taken to the San Raffaele hospital by helicopter, according to Italian media. Sara Meini of Rai Sport posted the following update on X.com.
#Fiorentina Il Dg Joe #Barone ha avuto un malore mentre era nell'albergo di Bergamo con la squadra è adesso è in rianimazione al San Raffaele a #Milano. È già arrivato Italiano e insieme a lui il capitano Biraghi e una rappresentanza di calciatori. Tra poco in diretta @RaiSport pic.twitter.com/tjCfrxrE87
— Sara Meini (@SaraMeini) March 17, 2024
The match was scheduled to kick-off at 17:00 GMT, but Fiorentina requested the game to be called off after Barone fell ill. Serie A officials confirmed that it will take place at a later date.
Italian media have reported that Barone suffered a suspected heart attack in the presence of squad and staff members, according to Samuel Draper of the Daily Mail.
Barone has been the general manager at Fiorentina since November 2019 and is due to celebrate his 58th birthday on Wednesday.
Club statements
In a club statement, Fiorentina said: “It has been confirmed that the Serie A Week 29 match between Atalanta and Fiorentina scheduled for today, March 17, at 18:00 CET has been postponed until a later date.”
Meanwhile, Atalanta said: “As reported by the Lega Serie A, the MD29 fixture between Atalanta and Fiorentina, originally scheduled for today, March 17, 2024, at 18:00 CET has been postponed to a date yet to be set.
“Fans are advised not to travel to the stadium.”