Al Jazira have roped in former West Ham United and Watford technical director Gianluca Nani as their sports director.
Officials at the Abu Dhabi club did not reveal much details but said the Italian was set to begin work immediately.
Jazira parted ways with their returning coach Abel Braga last week and Ali Khamis Al Junaibi, the club's Under 23 coach, has been appointed as caretaker until a new manager arrives.
Nani’s immediate task would be to look help the technical committee scout a new manager and a replacement for the injured Montenegro striker Mirko Vucinic.
Bayern Munich
The Bundisliga leaders host Darmstadt on Tuesday for a place in the German Cup quarter-finals with the visitors’ coach hoping for a “miracle”.
“They’re the best team in Europe. It’s more than David versus Goliath. I can’t really think of a comparison of how big the miracle will need to be if we are to progress,” said Darmstadt coach Dirk Schuster.
Bayern have a few injuries to contend with and will be without Arjen Robben and David Alaba, while Franck Ribery is sidelined again after just 15 minutes of his comeback from nearly nine months out with an ankle knock.
In other key third-round matches, Borussia Moenchengladbach are at home to Werder Bremen on Tuesday while 2012 cup winners Borussia Dortmund are at Augsburg on Wednesday.
Espanyol
The Primera Liga side have sacked coach Sergio Gonzalez following a poor run of form.
Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to high-flying Celta Vigo proved to be the final straw for the 39-year-old Spaniard, who has seen his side win just one of their last seven league matches, a run of form which has left them 12th in the table.
A statement on the club’s website read: “Sergio Gonzalez is no longer the first-team coach after the Espanyol board decided, in the last few hours, to relieve him of his duties.”
The club have not named a replacement for Gonzalez but former Espanyol and Romania defender Constantin Galca has been linked with the post in the Spanish media.
Fifa
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) dismissed an appeal by former Trinidad and Tobago player David Nakhid against Fifa’s decision to disqualify him as a presidential candidate.
Nakhid, 51, had challenged his exclusion by an ad-hoc electoral committee barring him from the February 26 vote to replace Sepp Blatter as the head of world football’s governing body.
His candidacy was invalidated because he only received four valid nominations out of Fifa’s 209-member national association and presidential candidates required five.
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