Insider Sport’s weekly roundup of the key executive moves in the business of sport.
- Eintracht Frankfurt has named Axel Hellmann CEO after sporting director Markus Krösche left the club.
- Former Juventus CEO Damien Comolli has taken charge at Pisa.
- Ex-England defender Ryan Bertrand is leading an £87m minority investment bid for AFC Wimbledon
- and World Rugby has hired a former USTA executive to run the first men’s Rugby World Cup in the US.
Read this week’s Sideline Moves below.
Hellmann takes top job at Eintracht Frankfurt after Krösche exit
Eintracht Frankfurt has appointed former board Spokesman Axel Hellmann as its CEO. Hellmann will also serve as board member for sport on an interim basis, following Markus Krösche’s departure at his own request.
Eintracht Frankfurt announced Krösche’s exit on Sunday, 18 October, ending an association that began in 2021. Krösche had asked supervisory board Chairman Mathias Beck to relieve him of his duties with immediate effect. His contract through June 2028 will continue under amended terms.
Eintracht Frankfurt added its supervisory board is “counting on continuity while, at the same time, strengthening the leadership structure.” Hellmann has worked for Eintracht Frankfurt in various roles since 2001. He has sat on the club’s board since 2012 and has served as its spokesman since 2021.
Comolli lands at Pisa after Juventus exit
Pisa Sporting Club has appointed Damien Comolli as President and CEO. He will also join the club’s Board of Directors.
Comolli joins on an initial three-year contract. He replaces Giuseppe and Giovanni Corrado, and Alexander Knaster remains the majority shareholder. Knaster said the club is entering “a new phase of its growth and development.”
Comolli joined Juventus as General Manager in June 2025 and became CEO that November, replacing Maurizio Scanavino. His earlier roles include Arsenal, Liverpool, Fenerbahçe, Tottenham, Saint-Étienne and Toulouse.
Pisa were relegated from Serie A last season.
Bertrand leads £87m AFC Wimbledon investment bid
Former Chelsea and England defender Ryan Bertrand is leading a consortium that has proposed an £87m minority investment in League One club AFC Wimbledon. British technology entrepreneur Omar Mir is the sole funder, through his investment vehicle Sloane Street Capital (SSC). The Dons Trust board presented the proposal to its members on Wednesday night.
SSC would invest £16m on completion for a 34% minority stake in AFCW PLC. The remaining £71m would be paid across five seasons up to the 2030-31 campaign. If approved, SSC would oversee football operations, with Bertrand serving as Senior Football Adviser.
The Dons Trust would keep its 50.01% share of voting rights and a veto over the stadium freehold. SSC would take two of the 12 seats on the club’s board. The Trust would also retain a veto over the club’s name, badge, colours, ground and constitution.
World Rugby hires USTA’s Rose for 2031 World Cup
World Rugby has appointed Megan Rose as Managing Director of the 2031 men’s Rugby World Cup, the first edition to be held in the US.
Rose previously worked at the United States Tennis Association, where she led the US Open Series, Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. She also served as team leader for Team USA Olympic Tennis at the Olympics for Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Rose called the role “an extraordinary honour.” World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin described it as “an appointment that reflects the scale of our ambition.”
Snapshot Moves
- Marseille has named Alban Juster, 37, Director General for Business and Corporate, under a new structure led by President Stéphane Richard. Juster was previously the club’s Director General for Finance and Compliance.
- Cardiff Rugby has appointed Barnsley FC CEO Jon Flatman as its new CEO. He joins in January, and Jamie Muir continues as Managing Director.
Submit your people moves to Insider Sport’s Editor, Louis Thompsett, at [email protected] to be featured in the next edition of Sideline Moves.
Catch up on last week’s Sideline Moves, where Arsenal were set to cut 60 jobs.
