Serie A club sacks coach for second time in 30 days
David Nicholas (49)
Those: pa/ZUMAPRESS.com/Paola Garbuio
Davide Nicola was sacked after a 2-8 draw against Atalanta Bergamo. Then President of US Salernitana backed down and gave the coach a second chance. Full of energy, he went to work. Exactly 30 days long.
DItalian top-flight club US Salernitana have relieved their head coach Davide Nicola of his duties for the second time in 30 days. Like the Table-16. announced in Serie A on Thursday that Paulo Sousa will succeed Nicola. Sousa won the Champions League as a player with Borussia Dortmund in 1997 and most recently coached Brazilian club Flamengo from Rio de Janeiro.
Predecessor Nicola had already been on leave from Salernitana, where former Bayern player Franck Ribéry is part of the management, in mid-January after a 2-8 defeat against Atalanta Bergamo. At that time, however, a backwards roll promptly followed: “Now we are all starting again together,” wrote the coach on social media after club president Danilo Iervolino had changed his mind two days after Nicolas was thrown out.
“I asked the President with all my might to reconsider my dismissal,” Nicola explained the surprising turnaround at the time. According to media reports, the southern Italian team had also spoken out in favor of their coach, who had actually been fired, staying on.
Salernitana has only four points from the past ten games
It took exactly 30 days to get going, then the 49-year-old was released again. Now there is no going back for the time being, a third engagement for Nicolas within a month seems impossible.
Salernitana is 16th in Serie A, four points ahead of the relegation zone, on Wednesday the team lost 0-1 at fellow competitor Hellas Verona. The team has only won one game in the past ten games. There was also a draw against bottom-placed Cremonese. Next Sunday the team will take on Lazio Roma with their new coach, Davide Nicola will not be on the bench.
