Legends named Premier Partnerships Corporate Partnerships Dir MATT POPE VP of West Coast Sponsorship, effective immediately. He will report to President of Global Sales MIKE ONDREJKO (THE DAILY).
COACHES/MANAGERS: SERGIO MARKARIAN has quit as coach of Greece's national football team "after a second loss to the Faeroe Islands in qualifying for next year's European Championship." He "apologized for the poor results and announced his resignation in a statement Tuesday" (AP, 7/21). ... Frenchman MICHEL DUSSUYER has been appointed as the new coach of
the Ivory Coast national football team. He signed a "two-year deal with
the option to extend the contract." Dussuyer replaces HERVE RENARD, who resigned to become a club coach with Ligue 1 side Lille (BBC, 7/20). ... League Championship side Cardiff City head coach PAUL TROLLOPE "has been appointed Wales national team coach." Trollope replaces Fulham Manager KIT SYMONS, "who stepped down to concentrate on his role as Cottagers boss," in the role. The 43-year-old, who joined Cardiff in February, "will carry out his Wales role on a part-time basis." OSIAN ROBERTS "has been promoted to assistant manager" (BBC, 7/21). ... The FA of Singapore has appointed GERARD HOULLIER's former assistant RICHARD TARDY "as the head coach of all national youth teams." Tardy will join Singapore's recently appointed technical director MICHEL SABLON, "and will be part of the team implementing development plans to take the four-time Southeast Asian champions to the next level" (ESPN, 7/21).
IN SPAIN: Barcelona has appointed former player ROBERT FERNÁNDEZ as technical director of the first team. The arrival of Fernández, 53, is "one of the first moves the new board of directors has made" following JOSEP MARIA BARTOMEU's re-election as club president. The position has been vacant since the club dismissed ANDONI ZUBIZARRETA as sporting director in January. The club has also made JOSEP SEGURA its new technical secretary of professional youth football. The board of directors has also put former AC Milan Sporting Dir ARIEDO BRAIDA in charge of the club's int’l scouting, while ex-Barça coach and player CARLES REXACH will be responsible for national scouting. Each will report to ALBERT SOLER, the director of professional sports at Barcelona (ESPN, 7/21).
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