Juventus Appoints Montero as Interim Coach for Final 2 Matches after Allegri Fired

Juventus' head coach Massimiliano Allegri, left, shouts during a Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Udinese, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024 (AP)
Juventus' head coach Massimiliano Allegri, left, shouts during a Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Udinese, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024 (AP)
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Juventus Appoints Montero as Interim Coach for Final 2 Matches after Allegri Fired

Juventus' head coach Massimiliano Allegri, left, shouts during a Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Udinese, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024 (AP)
Juventus' head coach Massimiliano Allegri, left, shouts during a Serie A soccer match between Juventus and Udinese, in Turin, Italy, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024 (AP)

Juventus Under-19 coach Paolo Montero will take charge of the senior team for the final two matches of the season after Massimiliano Allegri was fired last week.

The 52-year-old Montero, who played for the Bianconeri, has never coached a Serie A team but Juventus announced on Sunday that he would make the step up for the final two league matches.

Montero will take charge of his first training session on Sunday before the team plays at Bologna the following day. Juventus ends the season at home to Monza next weekend, The AP reported.

Allegri was fired on Friday for his ugly outburst toward the referees in last week’s Italian Cup final. The coach was also reportedly aggressive toward journalists after the match and Juventus said his behavior was not in line with its “values.”

Juventus is fourth in Serie A and has already qualified for next season’s Champions League but before Wednesday’s Italian Cup victory it hadn’t won any of its previous six matches and there was speculation that Allegri’s contract –which was set to expire at the end of next season – would be ended a year early.

Montero, a former defender, played nearly 300 matches for Juventus between 1996 and 2005 and has coached the Under-19 team for the past two years.

The Uruguayan also coached several teams in Argentina.

 

 

 



Olympic Cauldron to Rise into Paris Skies Each Night

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
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Olympic Cauldron to Rise into Paris Skies Each Night

 Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Paris, France - July 27, 2024. A general view of the balloon and Olympic cauldron in Jardin des Tuileries. (Reuters)

The Olympic cauldron that made a stunning first flight at the Paris Games opening ceremony will sit on the ground during the day and rise again every evening.

Paris Olympics organizers said that from Saturday, the cauldron attached to a balloon will fly more than 60 meters (197 feet) above the Tuileries gardens near the glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre museum from sunset until 2 a.m.

During daytime hours, 10,000 people each day can get free tickets to approach the cauldron, which is the first in Olympic history to light up without the use of fossil fuels.

Organizers said the electric flame uses 40 LED spotlights “to illuminate the cloud created by 200 high-pressure misting nozzles.”