Heart of Midlothian have appointed Belgian Wouter Vrancken as head coach on a two-year contract, filling the void left by Derek McInnes’s move to Rangers. The 47-year-old arrives as a free agent after guiding Sint-Truiden to third place in Belgium’s top flight. His predecessor came within minutes of delivering Hearts’ first league title since 1960, only for a chaotic final day at Celtic Park to end in a 3-1 defeat, a pitch invasion and a title decided deep in stoppage time. The Scottish Professional Football League later confirmed that referee Don Robertson had ended the match, not abandoned it, after hundreds of Celtic supporters flooded the pitch. Vrancken, twice named Belgian manager of the year, now inherits a side that led the Premiership for most of last season and will be expected to mount another challenge.

In Buenos Aires, San Lorenzo have moved quickly after Gustavo Álvarez’s surprise resignation on the first day of pre-season training. The club cited irreconcilable differences over squad planning, with Álvarez reportedly seeking to sideline several first-team players — a move the board feared would damage both sporting and financial assets. Eduardo Berizzo, the 56-year-old former Chile and Paraguay national team coach, has emerged as the leading candidate and is due to hold talks via video call. Berizzo made his name at O’Higgins, winning the club’s first Chilean title, before taking Celta Vigo to the semi-finals of both the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Europa League. He later managed Sevilla, Athletic Club and most recently León in Mexico.

Russian basketball has witnessed its own upheaval. Zenit Saint Petersburg have handed a contract until 2028-29 to Duško Ivanović, the 68-year-old Montenegrin who ranks among Europe’s most decorated coaches. He replaces Dejan Radonjić, who departed in May after Zenit surrendered a 3-1 semi-final lead against UNICS Kazan and then lost the third-place series to Lokomotiv Kuban. The season had already seen the dismissal of Aleksander Sekulič and two spells under interim coaches. Ivanović, a three-time Spanish league champion and two-time EuroLeague finalist with Baskonia, previously worked in Russia with Khimki, leading them to VTB United League silver in 2017. His last post was at Virtus Bologna, the Italian club that itself has cycled through four head coaches in three years — Scariolo, Banchi, Ivanović and now Mumbrù, who steered Germany to European Championship gold in 2025.

Across Italian sport, Bologna’s football and basketball teams have both changed leadership. Bologna FC moved from Vincenzo Italiano to Domenico Tedesco, while Virtus Bologna turned to Mumbrù after Ivanović’s departure. Fortitudo Bologna, in the second tier, appointed Demis Cavina. The simultaneous turnover, noted with irony by local supporters, reflects a broader pattern of impatient boardrooms from Russia to Argentina. Hearts will begin their Premiership campaign aiming to prove last season was no fluke; San Lorenzo expect Berizzo to launch a new cycle in Boedo; and Zenit will open their VTB United League season on 25 September, with Ivanović tasked with restoring order after a turbulent year.