Soccer Extras: Newcastle appoint Bruce as manager

News of all that's transpired on and off the football field

Newcastle United have appointed former Sheffield Wednesday manager Steve Bruce as their new head coach on an initial three-year contract, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.

Former Sunderland and Aston Villa boss Bruce, 58, replaces Spaniard Rafa Benitez, who left St James' Park at the end of his contract last month after failing to agree an extension with club owner Mike Ashley.

"I'm delighted and incredibly proud to be appointed as head coach of Newcastle," Bruce told the club's website. "This is my boyhood club and it was my dad's club, so this is a very special moment for me and my family.

"There is a huge challenge ahead of us, but it's one that my staff and I are ready for. We'll roll our sleeves up and we'll be giving it everything from the off to ensure supporters have a successful team that they can be proud of."

Bruce, who will be joined by coaches Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence, led former side Wednesday to 12th in the Championship (second-tier) last season after being appointed in January.

Former Liverpool and Real Madrid manager Benitez, who was unveiled as the head coach of Chinese Super League club Dalian Yifang earlier this month, led Newcastle to 13th in the Premier League last season.

The 59-year-old joined Newcastle in March 2016 but failed to save them from relegation from the Premier League. He remained in charge and immediately led them back up, then stabilized the club with a 10th-placed finish in 2017-18.

Santos women's team sleep in hotel lobby ahead of match

The coach of Santos women's team criticised the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on Tuesday after her players were forced to spend part of the night in a hotel lobby before a crucial first division game.

"This is the respect that people have for women's football in Brazil," said Emily Lima, as she recorded on video the players curled up on hotel sofas.

"Goodnight to everyone who's going to sleep quietly in their own beds before working the next day."

Lima's club Santos said the CBF's logistics company hired to get the women to their match in Amazonia could not arrange a direct flight from Sao Paulo to Manaus and so had the players stop off in Brasilia overnight.

However, there was an error with the hotel reservations and so the team spent part of the night in the lobby until alternative accomodation was found around 0100 local time.

The CBF said in a statement their representative in Brasilia resolved the problem after less than an hour and is taking steps to prevent the problem from happening again.

Lima's message came two nights before Santos – who currently sit second in the league - were due to play Iranduba and just three weeks after Brazil were knocked out the World Cup by hosts France in an extra-time thriller in Le Havre.

The United States won the tournament for the second consecutive time.

"This is the reality," said Lima, who was fired as coach of the national side in 2017 after just 13 games in charge.

"Why is the United States so far ahead of us?"

Lima recorded more videos the morning after explaining how they had found a hotel in which to spend the night.

She also detailed Santos' post-match travel plans, saying that after Wednesday night's game, the squad will return from Manaus on a 0400 flight to Brasilia before catching a connection to Sao Paulo.

Cameroon sack Seedorf and Kluivert after Nations Cup failure

Cameroon have sacked Dutch coach Clarence Seedorf after their disappointing performance at the Africa Cup of Nations, with his departure coming after the country's sports minister had demanded his exit.

Seedorf’s assistant, former Netherlands striker Patrick Kluivert, has also been axed after the defending champions were dumped out in the last 16 after losing 3-2 to Nigeria earlier this month.

The Indomitable Lions won just one of their four matches at the tournament in Egypt, which led to calls from the country’s sports minister, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, for the pair to be released from their contracts.

He got his wish within hours on Tuesday as Cameroon's football federation announced it had terminated the four-year deal Seedorf had signed in August 2018.

The body said in a statement on that it had brought an end to the respective contracts of Seedorf and Kluivert "following the premature exit of Cameroon's men's flagship squad".

Former AC Milan and Netherlands midfielder Seedorf was in charge for 12 matches, but won only four against Malawi, Comoros Islands, Zambia and Guinea-Bissau.

The job was his first in international football after previous brief spells in charge of AC Milan and Deportivo La Coruna in Spain.

Cameroon will host the next Nations Cup finals in June 2021, but must take part in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers that are likely to start later this year.

Earlier, Paul Put was fired by Guinea on Monday despite his side reaching the last 16 while Ricardo Mannetti has not had his contract renewed after Namibia lost all three group games.

The future of two-time Cup of Nations winner Herve Renard with Morocco also appears heading to an end with local media on Monday trumpeting his departure only for the coach to leave his immediate future unclear with an opaque statement.

"At my request, I have met (Fouzi) Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation," said Renard.

"We have taken stock of the competition that has just ended for us. We also talked about the future, I gave him my opinion. We have agreed not to make any public statement."

Morocco had been one of the pre-tournament favourites but their elimination on post-match penalties by tiny Benin in the last 16 was a major shock for the tournament and embarrassment for the north Africans.

Frenchman Renard, 50, won the title in 2012 with Zambia and in 2015 with Ivory Coast, and had a good chance again of an unprecedented third title with three different countries.

Put traded blames with captain Ibrahima Traore over tactics at the tournament and his dismissal was announced by the Guinea Football Federation who accused him of meddling in financial matters.

The Belgian, who had been in the job for 16 months, rejected the charges.

The 44-year-old Mannetti departed after five years in charge of Namibia -- an unusually long tenure by African standards -- and was on Monday replaced by Bobby Samaria.

Coaches of hosts Egypt, Tanzania and Uganda have also left their posts in the wake of disappointing returns at the Cup of Nations finals.

Fleetwood boss Barton charged with actual bodily harm

FleetwoodTown manager Joey Barton has been charged with actual bodily harm over an incident at Barnsley after a match in April between the two League One sides in England's third tier, South Yorkshire police said on Wednesday.

Barton was alleged to have left Barnsley boss Daniel Stendel with "blood pouring from his face" after the game, prompting the club to complain to the English Football League and the Football Association.

Barton had denied allegations that he had assaulted Stendel after police launched an investigation.

"Joseph Barton... has been charged with actual bodily harm contrary to section 47 assault and has been bailed to appear before Barnsley Magistrates Court on Wednesday 9 October 2019," South Yorkshire police said in a statement on their website.

"On 13 April 2019, a man was left with facial injuries after an incident in the club tunnel around 5pm, following the conclusion of Barnsley's match against FleetwoodTown."