* West Ham United have announced the appointment of 45-year-old Italian Gianluca Nani as the Premier League club's first technical director. A statement on the West Ham Website (www.whufc.com) said Nani would enhance the international scouting network, assist with transfers and help develop the youth academy.

"Gianluca is the person I need to help me in the recruitment at the club, venturing down into the academy level," West Ham manager Alan Curbishley told British media. "It is a big brief but I am sure he is up for it. He is vastly experienced."

* Fiorentina have cleared striker Adrian Mutu to play in Romania's Euro 2008 warm-up against fellow finalists Russia on March 26 after he recovered from a knee injury, the Romanian Soccer Federation said on their Website (www.frf.ro).

Mutu had been left out of coach Victor Piturca's squad after doctors said he needed more time to recover, but the striker scored for Fiorentina in a 3-1 win against Genoa in Serie A on Sunday.

* Struggling Swiss top division side Neuchatel Xamax have named Argentine trainer Nestor Clausen as their new head coach. Clausen, a member of Argentina's 1986 World Cup-winning squad, takes over from Gerard Castella who was sacked on Sunday following Neuchatel's 2-0 home defeat by bottom club FC Thun.

* African Confederation Cup winners CS Sfaxien of Tunisia have named Khaled Ben Yahia as their new coach after moving Swiss coach Michel Decastel into a new role at the club, officials said on Monday. Ben Yahia, a former international and coach of Esperance, replaces Decastel after a run of poor league results that has left Sfaxien 21 points off the pace in Tunisia's Ligue 1. Sfaxien, won the African Confederation Cup last November under Decastel, who was in his second spell with the club.