La Liga side Real Betis confirmed it sacked Sporting Dir EDUARDO MACIÀ. He "leaves the club one year after being hired, following an agreement to rescind the remaining three years on his contract." Real Betis announced that Macià and his staff will no longer work for the club (MARCA, 4/25). ... Pro12 rugby side Munster announced JOHAN 'RASSIE' ERASMUS has been "appointed director of rugby on a three-year deal." The 43-year-old South African won 36 caps for the Springboks as a player and is currently GM high performance of South African rugby, a position he has held since '12. Munster Rugby CEO GARRETT FITZGERALD said, "The Director of Rugby role will lead Munster's senior team, academy and coaches to deliver Munster's Strategic Plan with ultimate responsibility for team performance and results. The role will have overall responsibility for defining on field strategy and ensuring its implementation" (IRISH EXAMINER, 4/25). ... Int’l media group Eleven Sports Network appointed KRZYSZTOF ŚWIERGIEL as managing director for Poland. Świergiel will be responsible for further expanding Eleven’s growth in Poland, including increasing revenues, developing strategic partnerships, and overseeing the network’s day-to-day operations. He will be based in Eleven’s Warsaw office and will report directly to Group Managing Dir DANNY MENKEN. Świergiel, who has held a number of senior management positions in Poland’s sports media industry, will join Eleven from Lagardère Sports Poland, where in his role as managing director he has led the expansion of the business by increasing sales, managing client relationships and developing its license portfolio (Eleven). ... WWE announced the appointment of JAY LI as VP & GM, Greater China. The position will be based in Shanghai. Li, a senior exec who has held multiple leadership positions in China and the U.S., will report directly to WWE Exec VP, Int’l ED WELLS. In this newly created role, Li will lead WWE’s strategic business development initiatives and day-to-day operations in China and work in conjunction with local government authorities and partners across all of WWE’s lines of the business including TV, live events, marketing, sponsorship, new media, licensing and merchandising. Prior to joining WWE, Li served as Skullcandy's China GM, where he helped launch its business in China. Li joined Skullcandy from Li Ning (WWE). ... Under Armour named CAA Sports agent WALKER JONES senior director for global sports marketing & business development. Jones said that he "went back to Under Armour within the last two weeks" to work on "college sports, football, baseball, golf and lacrosse." Jones will report to UA VP/Global Sports Marketing RYAN KUEHL (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/25 issue).
COACHES/MANAGERS: League Two side Crawley Manager MARK YATES and assistant JIMMY DACK have left their roles with “immediate effect.” The club is currently 18th in the league, and has already secured its Football League status for next season. A statement on the club website said, “The board will be interviewing potential candidates in the next few days” (PA, 4/25). ... Spanish second division side Real Valladolid sacked coach MIGUEL ÁNGEL PORTUGAL after the team's loss to Osasuna on Sunday. Assistant coach RUBÉN ALBES will manage the club on an interim basis (AS, 4/24).
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