Sunderland sacks Chris Coleman, announces ownership change

A whirlwind of action at beleaguered Sunderland on Sunday saw confirmation of manager Chris Coleman's firing followed by an announcement that owner Ellis Short has agreed to sell the club.

Coleman vacated his role as Wales head coach in November to succeed Simon Grayson as boss of the struggling Championship outfit.

The 47-year-old's arrival failed to influence a positive turnaround, however, and five months later Sunderland was relegated to League One for the first time in club history.

Coleman's dismissal comes two days after Sunderland's last-place finish in the Championship was confirmed with a 2-1 loss to Fulham. Under Coleman, the Black Cats only won five matches.

A statement from the club read: "Sunderland AFC announces that manager Chris Coleman and his assistant Kit Symons have been released from their contracts.

“The club would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Chris and Kit for their tireless efforts in what has been a hugely disappointing season for everyone involved with the club.

“The club is unable to make further comment at this time.”

Less than an hour after Coleman's dismissal, Sunderland announced an agreement has been reached to sell the club to "an international consortium of football investors," led by Stewart Donald, chairman of National League team Eastleigh FC.

"It is no secret that I have been trying to sell Sunderland, but I have waited until the right group came along that have the experience, finances, and plan to take this great club back to where it deserves to be," Short said in a statement.

"Overall, my chairmanship has not gone the way I would have wished; the many high points of a decade in the Premier League have been overshadowed by the low points of the last two terrible seasons. I was therefore determined to ensure that I leave Sunderland in the best possible hands and in the best possible state to turn the corner. To achieve this, higher offers from less qualified buyers were rejected, and I have paid off all debts owed by the club to leave it financially strong and debt-free for the first time since years before I owned it."

The sale comes after the Tyne-Wear side joined an exclusive club of underachievers, as Sunderland became just the third club - joining Fulham (1968, '69) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (1984, '85) - to finish bottom of the top flight and second division in consecutive seasons.