Wanda Sports Holding appointed HENGMING YANG as its new CEO while PHILIPPE BLATTER is appinted vice-chair of the board of directors of Wanda Sports Holding. The Wanda Sports Holding board of directors will from now on be led by LINCOLN ZANG as chair. Blatter remains VP and a member of the management of Wanda Cultural Industry Group. His responsibilities as president and CEO of Infront Sports & Media remain unchanged. Yang started as CEO Nov. 1 (Infront). ... CONMEBOL President ALEJANDRO DOMÍNGUEZ named JOSÉ MANUEL ASTIGARRAGA the organization's new secretary general. The hire of Astigarraga comes after a search process carried out by Spencer Stuart (CONMEBOL). ... EPL side Watford Exec Chair RAFFAELE RIVA "has resigned" in the wake of the London Telegraph’s revelation that the club "submitted a forged bank letter to the Football League" when Owner GINO POZZO took sole control at Vicarage Road in '14. In an "extensive statement on Wednesday night aimed at reassuring fans" that the club believes it has "done nothing wrong and will not face a points deduction" over the offense, Watford said that Riva, who had oversight of the legal process that involved the letter, had "stepped away from his position" (London TELEGRAPH, 11/2). ... The England & Wales Cricket Board appointed former Lancashire coach JOHN STANWORTH to its senior management team. Stanworth spent three decades at Lancashire as a player, first team coach and then the county's first academy director. His experience is now added to the performance team developed by head coach MARK ROBINSON, who joined the England women's team from Sussex one year ago (ECB).
THE DOCTOR IS OUT: FIFA Chief Medical Officer & Medical Assessment & Research Center Chair JIRI DVORAK left the organization on Wednesday after 22 years. The new head of FIFA’s medical department, which is in charge of the medical services and the anti-doping program, will be announced in due course (FIFA). ... Former England cricketer IAN BOTHAM is set to become chair of Durham County Cricket Club. Botham played for the county in its inaugural first-class season in '92 and "ended his career there the following year." Durham was "relegated to Division Two of the County Championship last month over financial issues" (BBC, 11/3). ... CIARÁN Ó CATHÁIN has resigned as chair of the Crisis Management Committee and director of the Olympic Council of Ireland. The OCI announced his decision at its meeting on Tuesday. Ó Catháin is a former president of Athletics Ireland and current president of Athlone IT (RTE, 11/3).
COACHES/MANAGERS: Spanish Basketball League (ACB) side Tecnyconta Zaragoza named SALVA GUARDIA its new technical director. In addition to "being in charge of the sports department, he will support other sections of the organization" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 11/3). ... League Championship side Wigan Athletic appointed WARREN JOYCE, the ManU U21 boss, as manager. The 51-year-old former Bolton, Preston, Plymouth, Burnley and Hull City midfielder has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the "struggling" club. Joyce, whose ManU team has finished top of the FA Professional U21 Development League for the past two seasons, "will take charge of Wigan for the first time" when it hosts Reading this Saturday (BBC, 11/2).
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