Dani Alves Slammed for Davide Astori Comments
Dani Alves' remarks in reference to the sudden death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori have come under fire for being insensitive.
Paris Saint-Germain star Dani Alves hopes Davide Astori has left a "chaotic world" for a "better one" and paid tribute to the late Fiorentina captain.
Astori was found dead in his hotel room in Udine just a few hours before Fiorentina were due to play Udinese on Sunday.
The cause of his death remains unclear in the absence of an official autopsy report, though Udine's public prosecutor said on Sunday he suspects a "cardiac arrest" to have taken place.
The world of football has come together to pay tribute to the Italy international, with governing bodies, clubs and players all saluting the centre-back.
And Dani Alves, who said he feels an "admirable person has left", hopes Astori has found peace upon his passing.
"From here, I would like to send all my support to his [Astori's] family for their loss," Alves told reporters ahead of PSG's Champions League clash with Real Madrid.
"I always think about life and I think that we are here with a mission, and once we have done our mission, we go somewhere else.
"Maybe he completed his task in this chaotic world and he went to a better world than this one. Maybe, he left behind some important things.
However, the Brazilian star has come under fire for going on to imply that Astori's death is getting too much coverage in the media: "An admirable person has left us. Every day in the world, millions of children die and they probably don't have such big repercussions. We are here momentarily, and when it is our time [to leave], it will be.
"I am so sorry for his family, because they lost a loved one. We are far away from them, but we are also so sorry for the loss of a colleague in our profession."