Ivan Gazidis has left his role as Arsenal chief executive to join Italian club AC Milan.
The 53-year-old, who helped appoint Unai Emery in May as Arsene Wenger’s successor as manager, will leave his role on 31 October.
Gazidis said that the decision to leave after 10 years at the Gunners was “the hardest of my life”.
“Change and succession is not only inevitable for a club like Arsenal – it is necessary,” he said.
Raul Sanllehi, who was head of football relations at Arsenal has been appointed head of football, and Vinai Venkatesham moves from chief commercial officer to managing director.
In hiring Gazidis as CEO, AC Milan brings on board a world-class football executive with a track record of sporting and commercial success across the globe.
“After playing a key role in founding Major League Soccer in the United States, in 2009 Mr. Gazidis went on to become Chief Executive Officer of the UK Premier League football club Arsenal,” AC Milan said on its Facebook page.
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AC Milan’s executive chairman Paolo Scaroni will hand over all chief executive duties to Mr. Gazidis on 1 December. “On that date, Mr. Gazidis will formally become AC Milan’s CEO, responsible for leading the club’s day-to-day football, business and commercial operations.”
Paolo Scaroni, executive chairman of AC Milan said, “On behalf of the Board and the entire AC Milan community, we proudly welcome Ivan Gazidis to the club.
“The CEO role is one we have prioritised from day one of this project and one we have worked diligently upon to get right. Ivan Gazidis will bring an unparalleled level of business acumen and football industry experience to the club.
“He helped establish professional football in the United States; he brought Arsenal to new heights; and we can’t wait for him to get started here in Milan.
“The fundamentals are now in place for success, which we recognize will take time, hard work, and perseverance.”
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")