League Championship side Middlesbrough appointed former FA exec ADRIAN BEVINGTON as
head of recruitment operations. Bevington was managing director of Club
England from '10-14 and spent 17 years at the FA. He has been on the
Aston Villa board and was understood to have applied to be CEO at the
Scottish FA in March (BBC, 5/22). ... Black Caps cricket coach MIKE HESSON was appointed to the Int'l Cricket Council Cricket Committee. Hesson replaces former Australian cricket coach DARREN LEHMANN as its coaching representative. Lehmann became ineligible to serve on the committee after his resignation from the Australian job "in March in the wake of the team's ball tampering scandal." Other newcomers to the committee are former Australia women's captain BELINDA CLARK and Scotland captain KYLE COETZER (STUFF, 5/23). ... STEVE HARMAN will step down as chair of the British Horseracing Authority in November to "take up a consultancy role." Harman’s departure eight months before his term is officially due to finish will "bring to an end a period of rancour at the sport’s governing body after an investigation into his conduct." He was accused of a conflict of interest after meeting at the Cheltenham Festival in March with a businessman who is investing in the Tote (LONDON TIMES, 5/23). ... West Bromwich Albion appointed club Dir LI PIYUE as its new chair following its relegation from the Premier League. Li's elevation to the role is part of West Brom's plans to ensure a "closer working relationship" with its controlling shareholder, Chinese businessman GUOCHUAN LAI (REUTERS, 5/23).
COACHES/MANAGERS: Deportivo de la Coruña confirmed CLARENCE DEEDORF will leave following the club's relegation from La Liga. Seedorf was appointed in February but the former Netherlands int'l "only led the team to two league victories during his time in charge" (GOAL, 5/23). ... Belgian First Division A side Standard Liège announced MICHEL PREUD’HOMME as manager. He was a member of the club’s youth team from ’69-77 before joining the first team from ’77-86 (Standard Liège). ... Saudi Arabian football club Al-Ittihad hired RAMÓN DIAZ as its coach, replacing JOSÉ LUIS SIERRA (OLÉ, 5/23). ... CARLO ANCELOTTI agreed to replace MAURIZIO SARRI as Serie A side Napoli's manager. Ancelotti, who was sacked by Bayern Munich last September, signed a two-year deal with the club on a reported salary of €6M ($7M) per season (London GUARDIAN, 5/23). … League Championship side Stoke City appointed former Derby County Manager GARY ROWETT as its manager on a three-year deal. Rowett, 44, replaces PAUL LAMBERT, who left Stoke following its relegation from the Premier League (BBC, 5/22).