Vatican slams Serie A Sunday lunchtime kick-offs

Italian league matches have been played on Sundays for many years, something that has itself been questioned by the Vatican before. But there will now be some early kick-offs included in the fixture list in order to appease pay-per-view television companies who want to spread matches out over the weekend. The decision has angered Italian fans and has now provoked a firm response from the leaders of the Catholic Church. "I consider this a truly harmful development," Monsignor Carlo Mazza told Tuttosport. "Putting people in front of the television screen at 12.30, when they are having lunch with their families, to me seems like a 'pitch invasion' on life. "Family time is a very important institution and we cannot 'sell it off' to other events." Source: espnsoccernet.com