Cardiff City: Alisher Apsalyamov leaves recruitment role

Alisher Apsalyamov, the 23-year-old Kazakh who became Cardiff City's head of recruitment, has left the club.

An issue concerning Apsalyamov's work visa, after he joined on work experience, forced him to stand down.

Apsalyamov controversially replaced Iain Moody in the role after a row over spending.

His departure came as under-threat manager Malky Mackay saw his side lose 3-1 at Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.

Moody went on to become Crystal Palace's director of football, having been described by Mackay as "a class act".

In his scouting role at the club, Moody, who worked with Mackay at Watford, helped sign summer recruits including Gary Medel from Sevilla for £11m and Steven Caulker from Tottenham for about £8m.

Apsalyamov's appointment - with a remit to focus "on gathering data on individual players", according to a club statement - was one of several controversial decisions made by the club's Malaysian owner Vincent Tan.

Many Cardiff fans reacted negatively when the club's colours were changed from blue to red during the summer of 2012.