Bundesliga side FC Schalke has renewed its contract with Marketing Dir ALEXANDER JOBST until '22. The 42-year-old, whose current contract was set to expire in '17, signed a new five-year deal until June 30, 2022. Jobst has been in charge of Schalke's marketing department since '11 (Schalke). ... Former French Volleyball Federation President YVES BOUGET has been named president of French Ligue A side Tours. Bouget was in charge of French volleyball from ’13-15. He replaces JACQUES BOUHIER (L’ÉQUIPE, 9/23). ... Former Dutch int'l MARCO VAN BASTEN has been appointed as FIFA chief officer for technical development. Van Basten will be heading up all technical areas ranging from football technology innovation to refereeing. The former Ajax and AC Milan player and former coach of Ajax, AZ Alkmaar and the Dutch national team will officially start his new assignment next week. The hiring is part of President GIANNI INFANTINO's commitment to put football center-stage at FIFA. Infantino said, "Marco Van Basten is football. ... We have to cherish football, we have to protect football and develop football. Marco is a great expert, not only a legend" (FIFA). ... MIKE HAY will lead Team GB as its Chef de Mission at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. He will lead the delegation for a second time after overseeing its joint most successful Games in '14. Hay joined the British Olympic Association in '08 and headed up Team GB's Preparation Camp in '10 and '12 before acting as deputy Chef de Mission at Rio 2016 (Team GB).
COACHES/MANAGERS: RICARDO LA VOLPE was named coach of Liga MX side América. Despite "not having a great record in his 10 years since managing El Tri in the 2006 World Cup, he has landed arguably the most prestigious club job in the Mexican game." In total, "there have now been four managerial swaps so far this Apertura" and it would be "a big surprise" if there were not any more over the next couple of weeks (ESPN.com, 9/23). ... Qatar has appointed a new coach to head its national football team "in a bid to revive fading hopes of qualifying for its first World Cup finals in Russia in 2018." Uruguayan JORGE FOSSATI will head the national team, according to a tweet shared on Saturday by the Qatar FA. He replaces JOSE DANIEL CARRENO, who was sacked on Friday after Qatar lost to Iran and Uzbekistan "leaving them bottom of a six-team group in the final round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup" (REUTERS, 9/25). ... Bundesliga side Hamburg sacked boss BRUNO LABBADIA "for the second time, after a poor start" to the season. Labbadia, 50, was "appointed Hamburg boss for a second time" in April '15. Hamburg Sporting Dir DIETMAR BEIERSDORFER said, "I am convinced we have to make a change in the coaching position in order to turn our disappointing season start around" (BBC, 9/25).
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