Fiorentina captain Astori found dead

UDINE, Italy (AP):

Fiorentina Captain Davide Astori was found dead in his hotel room yesterday after a suspected cardiac arrest before an Italian league match.

The defender, who has also played 14 times for Italy's national team, was discovered by Fiorentina staff when he failed to show up for breakfast at the hotel in Udine. Fiorentina's game at Udinese in northeast Italy was called off, along with all fixtures in the country's top two divisions.

Astori's body was taken to the Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital for an autopsy.

"The belief is that the player died of a cardiac arrest by natural causes," Udine prosecutor Antonio De Nicolo said. "It is strange that such a thing should happen to a professional, who is so closely monitored, without there being any warning signs."

Fiorentina said Astori, who had played for the club since 2015, was "hit by a sudden illness.

"For this terrible and delicate situation, and above all out of respect for his family, we appeal to the sensitivity of everyone," the team said in a statement.

Astori was 31-years-old and leaves behind a wife and two-year-old daughter.