ROME, Aug 24: A minute of silence will be observed before all professional football matches in Italy this week to mourn the victims of an earthquake that rocked the central part of the country early Wednesday.

The Italian football federation also says that national teams will wear black armbands "in a sign of solidarity during a time of such great pain for the entire country."

Italy's civil protection agency says at least 37 people have died in the magnitude 6 quake.

The quake struck at 3:36 a.m. (0136 GMT) and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, including Rome.

Serie A matches are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, and Italy faces France in a friendly on Sept. 1 in the southern town of Bari.

 
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