AC Milan confirmed that GM Umberto Gandini "has left the club after 23 years, with a move to Serie A rivals Roma looking likely." Gandini "is reportedly set to replace Walter Sabatini" as sporting director of the Giallorossi in the coming days, with Sabatini "tipped to take the place of Adriano Galliani as sporting director at Milan" once its takeover by Chinese investors "goes through before the end of the year." Gandini, who is also the first vice-chair of the European Club Association and has been on the ECA board since '08, joined Milan in '93 "after working as a consultant for Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset group." His passage to Roma is expected to be confirmed next week, once club President James Pallotta "arrives in the Eternal City for a series of meetings" (ESPN.com, 9/7).
Australian Football League side Brisbane Lions delayed announcing the appointment of its coaching panel to select a replacement for Justin Leppitsch "and it may not be complete until the end of the finals series." The delay is due to the Lions' "concurrent search for a new head of football," with Adelaide's David Noble known to be "in the club's sights," along with Collingwood's Neil Balme. Brisbane CEO Greg Swann will be joined on the selection panel by a senior coaching identity, believed to be Paul Roos, who has just finished his tenure at Melbourne (THE AGE, 9/7).
Liverpool and Standard Chartered are bringing int'l fans closer to Anfield through "Inside Anfield" -- a unique VR experience. Launching ahead of the first home game of the season on Saturday, "Inside Anfield" echoes Standard Chartered's "Football Is Better Together" sponsorship theme. The VR experience includes a view inside the players' dressing room. "Inside Anfield" launched on the club's Facebook page on Wednesday (Liverpool).
