After months of negotiations, the French Rugby Federation announced the arrival of BEN RYAN as a consultant for the French rugby sevens teams. Ryan, who led Fiji to the sevens Gold Medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, joined the French teams on Monday (L’ÉQUIPE, 9/18). ... FIFA VP VICTOR MONTAGLIANI was elected as the chair of the board of directors of FIFA Ticketing AG, a FIFA subsidiary which is responsible for the global sale of tickets for the World Cup (FIFA). ... BIBI RAMJANI was appointed as the first female president of Malaysia Super League side Kelantan, "with the mandate of leading the troubled state side" until '21. The businesswoman is Malaysia's second female club president after TUNKU AMINAH MAIMUNAH ISKANDARIAH of Johor Darul Ta'zim. She will first need to ensure the team remains in the MSL for the '18 season after seeing its club license application rejected by the FA of Malaysia for "failing to comply with the required criteria" (ESPN.com, 9/18). ... DOMINIK ROGGENKAMP, 37, will return to rights agency Lagardère Sports on Oct. 1 as exec director of sales, Germany. He will be responsible for the mandate business and thus all sales projects outside Lagardère Sports' overall marketing partnerships. Roggenkamp will report to EIKE GYLLENSVÄRD, the company's SVP of sales, Germany (Lagardère Sports). ... The National Basketball Players Association "established a separate business unit for commercial activities, including merchandising, sponsorship, events and content." The new unit, National Basketball Players Inc., will have its own "profit and loss statement and payroll, and was established as a for-profit company." The unit named Def Jam Recordings Exec VP/Strategic Marketing & Brand Partnerships QUE GASKINS chief brand & growth officer, Nike Dir of Global Brand Business Affairs CLARENCE NESBITT general counsel and HBO VP/Global Licensing JOSH GOODSTADT EVP/licensing (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/18 issue).
COACHES/MANAGERS: Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg parted company with coach ANDRIES JONKER on Monday, less than four months after he "helped save" the club from relegation, and named MARTIN SCHMIDT as his replacement. Jonker, appointed at the end of February, "took charge of 19 competitive games including the two-legged relegation playoff against Eintracht Braunschweig in May which Wolfsburg won 2-0 on aggregate" to secure its top-flight status. Schmidt was previously in charge of Mainz for two-and-a-half seasons (REUTERS, 9/18). ... Belgian Pro League side Anderlecht "parted company" with Manager RENÉ WEILER "after an inauspicious start to the season." Weiler, who led Anderlecht to its 34th league title last season and took it into the Europa League quarterfinals, "had come under pressure following the draw away to Kortrijk" (SCOTSMAN, 9/18). ... KIRSTEN HELLIER was appointed as Athletics New Zealand program coach -- throws, based in Auckland. Hellier is currently coaching Olympic shot put finalist JACKO GILL (NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 9/18). ... KEN HINKLEY will coach Australian Football League side Port Adelaide through '21 following a week of "internal conflict at the club in which the senior coach of the past five years seriously entertained leaving." Having initially been offered a two-year deal, Hinkley "strongly requested and received an extra year from the club." This "followed robust discussions over the weekend" (THE AGE, 9/18).
