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Sports156 words1 min read

Santos Official Speaks on Payments, Arthur and Neymar's Absence

A man in a suit speaks into a microphone
Photo by Ufoma Ojo on Unsplash
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Listen to the story

Santos is a football club in Brazil. A club official named Mattos talked to reporters. He said Santos paid money it owed to players. This money is called back pay.

Mattos did not want to talk about a player named Arthur. Reporters asked him questions about Arthur. Mattos gave no clear answer.

Mattos also talked about Neymar. Neymar is a famous football player. Neymar did not play in a game against Palmeiras. Mattos explained why.

Neymar also spoke about this. He said the team's coaching staff made the decision. The game was on a synthetic pitch. This is a type of fake grass field.

The game between Palmeiras and Santos was part of the Copa do Brasil. This is a big football tournament in Brazil.

Fans wanted to know where to watch the game. They also wanted to know the lineups. A lineup is the list of players who start the game.

Vocabulary15 words

official
a person with an important job in an organization
back pay
money that should have been paid before but was not
coaching staff
the group of people who train a sports team
synthetic pitch
a sports field made of fake grass, not real grass
Copa do Brasil
a big football competition between Brazilian teams
tournament
a sports event with many games and teams
lineups
the lists of players who start a game
reporters
people who ask questions for news
club
a group or team, like in sports
decision
a choice someone makes
absence
when someone is not there
explained
told the reason for something
owed
needed to be paid to someone
clear
easy to understand
famous
known by many people

Quiz

1. What did Mattos say Santos did with money it owed?
2. Who made the decision about Neymar not playing?
3. Was the game played on a synthetic pitch?

Fill-in-the-blank listening

Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.

Santos is a football club in _____. A club official named Mattos talked to reporters.

He said Santos paid money it _____ to players.

Mattos did not want to talk about a player named _____.

Neymar did not play in a game against _____.

Neymar said the team's coaching _____ made the decision.

The game was on a _____ pitch.

The game between Palmeiras and Santos was part of the Copa do _____.

Fans wanted to know the _____ for the game.

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