Serie A stars call for all matches to be postponed after shock death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori

Fiorentina captain Davide Astori died of a sudden illness on Sunday morning, the Serie A club said on Twitter.

“Fiorentina is deeply upset to have to announce that its captain Davide Astori has passed away, victim of a sudden illness,” said the statement.

“Due to the terrible and delicate situation, and above all for the respect of his family, an appeal is made to everyone’s sensibility.”

Davide Astori's shock death has led to calls for Serie A matches to be postponed.

The 31-year-old was found dead in his hotel room in the early hours of Sunday morning.

His former side Cagliari were due to face Genoa at 11:30am but the match was postponed just minutes before kick-off as the news filtered through.

The two sets of players were out on the pitch warming up but left in tears after discovering the devastating news.

Astori spent most of his playing career with Cagliari before departing for Fiorentina.

It is unclear if the rest of the Serie A programme will go ahead on Sunday, with Italian Players Association chief Damiano Tommasi calling for all matches to be cancelled.

Unsurprisingly, Fiorentina's clash with Udinese has also been postponed.

Astori, who started his career at AC Milan, enjoyed a 12-year career in Serie A.

He spent six years with Cagliari, making 174 appearances for the Sardinians during a six-year spell. Their game with Genoa on Sunday morning was also called off.

In 2014 he joined Roma on loan, before joining Fiorentina the following year.