Argentine first division side Argentinos Juniors named CRISTIAN MALASPINA its new president after its general elections on Saturday. Malaspina will lead the club for the next four years (CLARÍN, 12/19). ... The Australian Rugby Union announced changes to its board, with Chair MICHAEL HAWKER stepping down from the position he has held since '12. He has served the maximum nine-year term across two periods ('01-03 and '09-15) but will remain on the board as a director until the '16 annual general meeting. CAMERON CLYNE was elected as the new chair, effective Jan. 1, and has been a director since Oct. '13. He is also the current chair of the audit and risk sub-committee. The board also approved the appointment of former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner ELIZABETH BRODERICK and will join the board for her first meeting in February. She will replace NEROLIE WITHNALL, who served from Oct. '13 to June '15 (Rugby 365). ... Ironman announced that THOMAS DIECKHOFF will be leaving the company as of Jan. 1 after three years as CEO of Ironman Europe, Middle East & Africa. An announcement regarding new regional leadership will be forthcoming (Ironman). ... The Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee Exec Board appointed three new organizing committee members who will commence their duties in January. The three appointments are: Vice Dir General YUSUKE SAKAUE, Chief Security Officer TOSHIRO YONEMURA and spokesperson HIKARIKO ONO (Tokyo 2020). ... The Havas Group announced the appointment of PEDRO AVERY as CEO of its Havas Sports & Entertainment network. He succeeds LUCIEN BOYER, who is moving to Vivendi. The appointment will be effective as of Jan. 1. Avery, currently group managing director of Havas Media Group UK & CEO of Arena Media UK, will bring his experience in media and entertainment and his business acumen. He will retain his existing roles with Havas Media Group UK and Arena Media UK. He will be supported by a global team led by Havas Sports & Entertainment Managing Dir JÉRÔME DE CHAUNAC, who has been promoted from COO, and Global Chief Strategy Officer FREDDA HURWITZ (Havas). ... Sports Hub confirmed that two members of its senior management are "stepping aside" from their roles at the consortium. Global Spectrum Pico Managing Dir MARK COLLINS and Global Spectrum Contracts & Compliance Dir DAPHNE LETOURMEL "respectively are leaving their positions at the consortium," which was formed to finance, operate and build the S$1.33B ($940,000) facility. Global Spectrum Pico is "one of four equity partners in the Sports Hub consortium, which had won the contract from the government" in '07 to finance, build and operate the Hub over a 25-year period (CHANNEL NEWS ASIA, 12/18).
COACHES/MANAGERS: Barcelona assistant coach JORDI VINYALS reached an agreement with the club "to rescind his contract." Vinyals received an offer from Chinese second division club Qingdao Jonoon and "decided to try his luck in Asian football." He had been working in "various roles on the coaching staff of Barcelona's youth academy since being sacked in June as coach of Barça B" (SPORT, 12/19). ... Former Netherlands Manager GUUS HIDDINK has been appointed interim Chelsea manager until the end of the season following the sacking of JOSE MOURINHO. The 69-year-old “also managed the Blues on a temporary basis for the final three months” of the ’08-09 campaign. Hiddink: “I am excited to return. Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world but is not where it should be at the moment” (BBC, 12/19). ... JURGEN KRAMNY has been appointed as the full-time coach of Bundesliga side Stuttgart on a contract until '17 after "initially stepping in on a caretaker basis last month." Kramny, 44, won his first game in charge against Wolfsburg on Saturday, "having drawn his first two matches" since replacing ALEXANDER ZORNIGER (PA, 12/20). ... Spanish second division side Real Zaragoza sacked Manager RANKO POPOVIC, assistant manager VLADO GRUJIC and MARTIN GONZÁLEZ "from the post of sporting director." Zaragoza "hope to persuade former Deportivo Manager FERNANDO VÁZQUEZ to take over at the club" (AS, 12/20). ... Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua "officially announced" GREGORIO MANZANO as its new manager for next season. Manzano "will arrive in Shanghai next Monday to start planning for the new season." Manzano, 59, "was with Beijing Guo'an for the last two years" (CRI, 12/19).
Do you have an executive announcement? If so, please send to global@sportsbusinessdaily.com.
