Football in Brief: Quinn to take on international role; Ancelotti dreaming of England; Millen leaves Bristol City

Niall Quinn has stood down as Sunderland chairman to focus on a new role within the club. The former Black Cats striker will now "spearhead international development on behalf of the club" while American owner Ellis Short will take over as chairman.

Quinn, who had been linked with the vacant chief executive role at his former club Manchester City recently, said on the club's website: "This is a great opportunity for us to make the club stronger and I'm delighted that Ellis has agreed to support the plan. He'll be a fantastic chairman and taking this role on speaks volumes about his ambition for the club."

Short said: "I can assure fans that it's the same group of people continuing to lead the club. With financial fair-play rules coming into effect it is essential for the long-term success of the club that we develop interests on a global scale and there's no one better than Niall to sell the ethos of Sunderland to an international audience. He has been keen to drive this change for some time and I agree that it's the way forward for us now."

Ancelotti: I want a return to England

Former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti says he has a "strong desire" to return to England for his next job. Ancelotti told Italian daily La Repubblica that England "is the ideal country for a coach". Ancelotti noted that Arsène Wenger is having trouble with Arsenal, and that in a few months an Englishman will replace Fabio Capello as coach of England's national team, "which will free a spot with a club". He added that he would also "include Tottenham and Liverpool" as possible destinations but is in "no hurry".

Millen pays price for heavy defeat

Keith Millen has left Bristol City with the club bottom of the Championship table. The final straw for the Robins manager came at Bloomfield Road on Saturday, where he saw his side thrashed 5-0 by Blackpool. Yesterday the chairman Colin Sexstone announced that they had parted ways with the 45-year-old, ending a 12-year association in various capacities. "I'd like to place on record my thanks to Keith for his ... service at the club," a statement read.