Chris Canetti named Harris County-Houston Sports Authority interim CEO | Houston Public Media

Chris Canetti, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Host Committee president, was named interim chief executive officer of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority on Monday.

Canetti will temporarily succeed Janis Burke, who became the first woman to serve in the organization’s highest-ranking position in 2006.

Canetti was appointed just days after city and county leaders called for leadership changes at the sports authority ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Burke was ousted on Friday.

“Chris has a proven track record of success here in Houston,” J. Kent Friedman, chairman of the sports authority board said in a statement Monday.

“We know that with his experience he will help guide the organization and ensure that all obligations and responsibilities are met during this period of transition,” Friedman said.

The sports authority is charged with overseeing and financing the area’s sporting venues, marketing and promoting events.

RELATED: Houston, Harris County leaders call for ‘new leadership’ at Sports Authority

Canetti served as the President of the city’s World Cup bid committee. He spent 13 seasons with Houston Dynamo and served as the Houston Dynamo president for eight years.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire in a press conference last week asserted that Houston Dynamo has had issues communicating and collaborating with the sports authority.

“The owner of the Dynamo was in my office, they said ‘we need help, the sports authority is not collaborating with us,’” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said last week. “‘The World Cup teams want to use our stadium as a practice facility, we can’t get the communication going with the sports authority.’”

Canetti will assume the interim position immediately.

The chairman of the sports authority board will organize a special committee tasked with hiring a permanent CEO.

The move also comes days after a sports authority board shakeup. Houston City Council last week approved Whitmire’s recommendation to appoint Christopher Newport and John Arnold to the board.