Niall Quinn has stepped down as Sunderland chairman to move to a new role as head of international development, with former owner Ellis Short replacing him.

The change of roles has been explained as using Quinn's profile to tap into international markets, and the former Republic of Ireland striker is excited to start his new role.

"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 told the side's official website.

"He'll be a fantastic chairman and taking this role on speaks volumes about his ambition for the club."

Short has assured fans that the change of roles will be a positive thing for The Black Cats, and has admitted he is looking forward to assuming his new position.

"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," Short stated.

"Assuming the position of chairman is a great honour and I will treat the role as guardian of this club with the utmost respect."

The Wearside outfit have started this campaign slowly, picking up only one solitary victory in seven games, and face Arsenal at the Emirates after the international break.

By Gareth McKnight

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