Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to footer
Data chief Belo leaves Nottingham Forest to join MLS side Kansas
Simon Austin and Ian Westbrook
Nottingham Forest’s Head of Football Intelligence Francisco Belo is leaving the club to become Vice-President for Sporting for MLS side Sporting Kansas City.
Belo’s role with Kansas will be focused on data, analytics and performance analysis.
He had been leading Forest’s Data Analytics department for two years after moving from Wolves. His job was to support the data strategy across the First Team, Academy and Women’s team “to improve performance and create efficiencies”.
TGG Members can watch Francisco Belo’s full presentation – plus others from TGG Live 2025 – by clicking below
Belo spent three-and-a-half years at Molineux in the innovative role of First Team Football Research and Methodology Analyst. His role was to develop a “best-practice framework” and deliver trend and research analysis about the performance of both Wolves and their fellow Premier League teams, as well as wider global trends.
Before that, he was Everton’s Technical Coaching Analyst for five-and-a-half years.
Forest are recruiting for a replacement for Belo as Head of Football Intelligence, who will be “responsible for the continuous development of the club’s data and insights strategy, ensuring these are integrated into decision-making processes”.
New era at Kansas
Kansas, then known as Kansas City Wiz, were one of the 10 original, or charter, teams in the MLS’s inaugural season in 1996. They changed their name to Sporting Kansas City after the 2010 season.
Last September, they appointed David Lee as President of Soccer Operations and General Manager. Lee had been with New York City for almost 12 years – almost half of which was as Sporting Director. Previous to that, he had been Performance Analyst at New York Red Bulls for nearly three years after starting his career as Head of Performance Analysis at Exeter City.
Lee was brought in after the club finished bottom of the Western Conference in the 2025 season with 28 points from 34 matches. Since then, there have been big changes – both on and off the pitch.
In early January Raphael Wicky was named as their new Manager, having previously been in charge of Young Boys in Switzerland.
Later in the month, Kansas-born Peter Mallouk became the club’s new owner when he bought a 71% stake from the previous owners to take his stake in City up to 80%.
Belo’s departure latest change at Forest
Belo presented at TGG Live 2025 on “The Humans Behind the Data”. You can see a clip below and TGG Members can watch the full presentation and others from the conference.
TGG Live 2026 is just around the corner. To find out more about our industry-leading Conference – and to buy tickets – click below.
His departure is the latest in a series of off-the-field changes at Forest, who on the field appointed Oliver Glasner as their Head Coach last month.
Also in July, George Syrianos was promoted to become Chief Football Officer after the absence of Global Head of Football Edu. Syrianos was Forest’s Head of Recruitment for 16 months in 2021 and 2022 before being dismissed, but he continued to advise the club through his company before being brought back in as Global Technical Director for Forest, Olympiakos and Rio Ave in June 2024.
He is Forest’s first Chief Football Officer since Ross Wilson left for Newcastle United in October 2025.
- Pedro Ferreira move from Head of Recruitment to Technical Director
- Ed Henderson return to the club in the new role of Chief of Staff, Football
- Connor Barrett be promoted from Global Recruitment Operations Manager to Assistant Sporting Director
- Head of Football Development and Talent Management Craig Mulholland leave the club to become Chief Football Officer at the Scottish Football Association
- Data Scientist Alex Marin Felices leave the club
In addition, in February, the former Tottenham Head of Medicine and Sports Science Geoff Scott was appointed as Forest’s new Director of Performance. His role is to modernise and strengthen the club’s medical and performance framework, enhance player durability and build an integrated department.
Last season, Forest finished 16th in the Premier League and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, where they were beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Aston Villa.
They kick off their new Premier League campaign at home to Leeds United on Saturday 22 August.
For latest updates, follow us on X at @ground_guru
