PAUL FRAMPTON is leaving Havas Media Group after 20 years. Frampton has run Havas Media Group, which includes Havas Media, Arena Media and Forward Media, in the U.K. and Ireland since Feb. '16 (CAMPAIGN LIVE, 10/12). ... Man City appointed JASON WILCOX as its academy director. Former Academy Dir MARK ALLEN left the club in June to become the director of football at Scottish Premiership side Rangers "after seven years in charge" (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 10/11). ... The Rugby Players' Association promoted Finance & HR Dir STUART MUNDAY to the newly-created role of COO with immediate effect. He will be responsible for the management of the daily business operations of the RPA Group and assume responsibility for performance management. He will report directly to CEO DAMIAN HOPLEY (RPA). ... Super Rugby side Melbourne Rebels lured former All Blacks Manager TONY THORPE to "fill the club's new team director role" ahead of the '18 season. The role "will drive standards, discipline, travel and high-performance outcomes after an end-of-season review" into the Rebels' rugby program (NZ HERALD, 10/12). ... The British Esports Association "is a body which aids grassroots esports, and it now has a major name in one of its powerful positions." The BEA hired MP ED VAIZEY as vice-chair. He was Britain's Minister of State for Culture, Communications & Creative Industries from '10-16. He is currently MP for Didcot and Wantage (London DAILY MAIL, 10/12). ... Former England and Middlesex cricket captain MIKE GATTING was named chair of the Marylebone Cricket Club's World Cricket Committee. Gatting takes over the role from another former England captain in MIKE BREARLEY. New Zealand women's captain SUZIE BATES, former West Indies fast bowler IAN BISHOP, Bangladesh all-rounder SHAKIB AL HASAN and Sri Lankan umpire KUMAR DHARMASENA "have also been added to the committee" (SKY SPORTS, 10/12). ... JAMES MURDOCH was re-elected as Sky chair after "narrowly winning the support of independent shareholders." At the broadcaster's annual meeting, 51.5% of independent investors voted for him -- "up from about 47% last year." Some investors have complained that Murdoch "faces a conflict of interest" as both chair of Sky and CEO of 21st Century Fox (BBC, 10/12).
STEPPING ASIDE: Brazilian Olympic Committee President CARLOS NUZMAN announced his resignation on Wednesday "following his arrest last week for arranging alleged bribes to win Rio de Janeiro’s selection" as host of the 2016 Summer Games. He said last weekend that he was "temporarily stepping down." But in a letter to the committee on Wednesday, he said that he needed to "devote himself to his legal defence and would not be returning" (REUTERS, 10/11). ... Former England & Wales Cricket Board CEO DAVID COLLIER said that he "will not renew his contract" with the Rugby League Int'l Federation in May. He was the RLIF's first full-time employee. Collier was a career sports administrator whose "key job was to improve revenue streams" and get rugby league recognized by int'l bodies such as Sport Accord (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 10/12). ... GORDON STRACHAN left his position as manager of Scotland's national football team by "mutual consent." The decision, "taken in conjunction" with the Scottish FA board, "follows two failed qualification campaigns." Strachan and his assistant, MARK MCGHEE, both stepped down "with immediate effect" (BBC, 10/12).
