DAVID MILIBAND will open a new international chapter for Sunderland FC, chairman Niall Quinn said last night as he appointed the former Foreign Secretary to the club’s board of directors.

Mr Quinn said the idea of approaching the South Shields MP came when he lost the Labour leadership battle to his brother, Ed.

Mr Quinn said: “The second David was leaving the party conference in Manchester I saw a light come on. I had met him a few times, and I saw what an opportunity someone else had turned down.

“It is a great coup for us. I’m not talking about PR, but about his intelligence, his worldwide charisma and his ability to make sure a vision is carried out.”

Speaking before last night’s match against big-spending Chelsea, whom the Black Cats beat earlier this season, Mr Quinn said: “A year ago, we got worldwide attention because a beach ball was on the pitch; then we got it because we beat Chelsea 3-0. Now we need to prepare for a new, international chapter and David is ideally placed to help face that challenge.”

Mr Miliband said: “I support Niall’s vision of making Sunderland a top ten Premier League team, hopefully getting into Europe, and making sure that as we think globally – as we have to do in the modern world – we don’t forget that we need to act locally.”

Mr Miliband’s role will involve exploiting the fact that Sunderland are now watched in 205 countries, and possibly developing Sunderland’s academy overseas.

He will attend six board meetings a year, and earn about £50,000 on top of his £66,000 MP’s salary.

In response to criticism that he is not devoting all his time to his backbench duties, he said: “Last May, I finished doing 75-hours-aweek as Foreign Secretary and no one said that was taking me away from South Shields – in fact people voted for me at the election.

“This is about me committing to the region, not running away from it and, if things work out, it will be of benefit to the whole region – Sunderland is the only club with a foundation that helps 30,000 children across the region no matter who they support.

“This is a £75m medium-sized business, with mega levels of media interest, and I have never run a medium-sized business before, so I hope it will stretch me as a person.”

His appointment has had a mixed reception in his constituency, which is split half and half between the Magpies and the Black Cats.

“My job is to serve my constituents whatever party they vote for and whatever team they support,” he said. “Some people embrace me as a long-lost brother, others give me a mock strangulation, but it is always done with a smile.”

Mr Miliband grew up an Arsenal supporter, occasionally during the Eighties watching Quinn at Highbury. “I cheered his goals and sometimes screamed about his offsides,” he said.

When Sunderland play Arsenal in a few weeks’ time, he said his diplomacy would be tested, but he was fortunate that the teams wore the same colours.

“It’ll be red and white in the south and red and white in the north,” he said.

He named Gian as his favourite Sunderland player, for the way he coped with the trauma of missing a World Cup penalty, and, as he had started his playing career as a goalkeeper, he said: “Craig Gordon has my enduring admiration and empathy.”

If the unrest in Egypt had blown up a year ago, it would have been Mr Miliband dealing with it.

“Anyone who goes from Government to Opposition and tells you they haven’t missed a beat is not telling the truth,” he said.

“There are some upsides, like more time with your family, but when great, extraordinary things are going on around the world you want to be part of it. These are momentous times and you feel doubly that your views and experience have something to offer, but what people give they can take away, that’s democracy and there are more upsides than downsides.”

Last night, the only defence the former Foreign Secretary had to worry about was the one attempting to keep Chelsea out.