Juventus appoints Montero as interim coach for final 2 matches after Allegri fired

TURIN, Italy (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.

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.

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