Venezia Appoints Nicola as New Head Coach
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Italian Serie A club Venezia has appointed Nicola as its new head coach. The announcement was made official this week.
Venezia decided to sack its previous coach, Giovanni Stroppa. This means the club ended his job before the season finished.
Coaching changes are common in Serie A during a difficult season. Clubs often replace a coach if results are poor.
Nicola was previously the coach of Cremonese, another Italian club. He left that position through a contract rescission, meaning both Nicola and Cremonese agreed to end their working relationship early.
Soon after, Venezia confirmed Nicola as their new coach. He will now be responsible for preparing the team and choosing the lineup, which is the group of players who start a match.
This news is especially interesting for fans of Fantacalcio, a popular Italian fantasy football game. In Fantacalcio, players build their own virtual teams using real footballers.
A new coach can change which players get more playing time. Players who play more often usually become more valuable in Fantacalcio. Players who play less become less valuable.
Because of this, Fantacalcio fans are now discussing which Venezia players might rise or fall in value under Nicola's management.
The story highlights how closely connected real football decisions are to the world of fantasy football in Italy.
Vocabulary5 words
- Serie A
- the top professional football league in Italy
- sack
- to officially end someone's job
- contract rescission
- an agreement by both sides to cancel a contract early
- lineup
- the group of players chosen to start a match
- Fantacalcio
- a popular fantasy football game played in Italy
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Quiz
Answer key
1. The summary does not give a specific reason 2. Through a contract rescission 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Italian Serie A club Venezia has appointed Nicola as its new _____ coach.
Venezia decided to _____ its previous coach, Giovanni Stroppa.
Coaching changes are common in Serie A during a difficult _____.
Nicola was previously the coach of _____, another Italian club.
He left that position through a contract _____.
He will now be responsible for choosing the _____.
This news is especially interesting for fans of _____.
Players who play more often usually become more _____ in Fantacalcio.
Fantacalcio fans are now discussing which Venezia players might rise or _____ in value.
This story highlights how closely connected real football decisions are to _____ football.
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