Newcastle sacks coach after Saudi Arabia takeover

English Premier League club, Newcastle United, has sacked their manager Steve Bruce after the £305million takeover by Saudi Arabia’s consortium, Public Investment Fund.

The club issued a statement on Wednesday announcing that it had reached a mutual agreement with Bruce to part ways. However, when asked about the possibility of being relieved, Mr. Bruce recently expressed the desire to continue staying at the club to oversee the restructuring.

“Newcastle United can confirm that Steve Bruce has left his position as head coach by mutual consent,” read a statement from the club.

“He leaves the Magpies after more than two years in charge, having steered the club to 13th and 12th-place finishes in the Premier League and reaching the quarter-final stage in both the Emirates FA Cup and Carabao Cup during his tenure.

“Newcastle United would like to place on record its gratitude to Steve for his contribution and wishes him well for the future.”

Bruce’s departure means that his assistant Graeme Jones will take over the team on an interim basis as the club plots an audacious move to bring a big-name guide to the Magpies. So far, former Chelsea coaches Antonio Conte and Frank Lampard and former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane have been linked to the job.

The British reported that Bruce accepted the decision to terminate his long stay at the club.
He said: “I am grateful to everyone connected with Newcastle United for the opportunity to manage this unique football club.

“I would like to thank my coaching team, the players, and the support staff in particular for all their hard work. There have been highs and lows, but they have given everything even in difficult moments and should be proud of their efforts.

“This is a club with incredible support, and I hope the new owners can take it forward to where we all want it to be. I wish everyone the very best of luck for the rest of this season and beyond.”

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has finally lifted a COVID-19 containment curfew which ran from 10 pm to 4 am.
Speaking at a commemoration of a national holiday, dubbed Mashujaa Day, at Wang’uru Stadium in Kirinyaga County, President said the National Emergency Response Committee and the National Security Council had given a green light for the move.

He attributed the relaxation of the restriction to Kenya’s drop of positivity rate reported to be below two percent at the moment.

“I want to thank all of us for being your brother’s keeper.… we are not yet out of the woods but I order and direct that the nationwide dusk to dawn curfew be vacated immediately,” Kenyatta said, as reported by the Standard.
Nairobi administration imposed a dusk to dawn nationwide curfew in March last year after noting widespread COVID-19 infections.

Since then, the country’s ministry of health has stayed the orders but revised the timelines moving it from the initial 7pm to 5am to 10pm to 4am.