RDC: des études documentent une pollution massive autour des mines de…

À Kolwezi, dans le sud-Est de la République démocratique du Congo, des habitants décrivent une poussière qui arrive « comme un brouillard ». Certains nettoient leur maison trois ou quatre fois par jour. Un médecin de la ville confie qu'il n'y a pas un jour sans un cas lié à la pollution de l'air. Quatre études scientifiques indépendantes publiées ce mois de juin documentent ce que ces communautés dénoncent depuis des années : les mines de cuivre et de cobalt de la région les exposent à des niveaux de pollution que la science associe à des risques sanitaires graves.

Après la victoire de l’équipe de France féminine en Pologne, le sélectionneur Laurent Bonadei apprécié l’état d’esprit de son groupe à un match de la fin des éliminatoires au Mondial 2027 au Brésil.

L’équipe de France féminine est devenue leader provisoire du groupe A2 d’éliminatoires au Mondial 2027 grâce à son succès 2-0 en Pologne et des réalisations de Malard et Baltimore. A l’issue de la rencontre, le sélectionneur Laurent Bonadei a salué sur le site de la FFF, la prestation de son équipe avant de recevoir, mardi prochain (19h GMT) la République d’Irlande à Grenoble. capturengo.com

« En termes de combativité et d’état d’esprit, c’est cette équipe de France que je veux voir. (…) c’est aussi le travail de toute l’équipe, qui a effectué un pressing intense. Hormis les cinq premières minutes où on a eu un peu de mal à entrer dans la rencontre, et quelques situations de contres à 1-0 que l’on doit éviter quand on est à l’extérieur, le match a été globalement maîtrisé. », s’est félicité le sélectionneur. « Ce n’est jamais facile de venir ici, où les Pays-Bas ont été par exemple tenus en échec. On réalise également notre premier clean sheet depuis pratiquement un an », a-t-il ajouté. Les Bleus n’avaient plus connu de clean-sheet depuis la victoire 5-0 face à la Belgique en match amical le 20 juin 2025.

The post Eliminatoires Mondial 2027 Féminin France – Pologne : Bonadei salue « l’état d’esprit » de son équipe après la victoire appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

Today another provincial union has announced its Youth Week squads for 2026 and, once again, there is a glaring omission. Alongside that are several other talented youngsters who have narrowly missed out on the opportunity to attend the country’s premier schoolboy rugby showcase, the u18 Craven Week.

Selection controversies are inevitable in any representative sport, but a rethink of the Craven Week structure could ease some of the pressure on selectors in the larger unions while simultaneously creating opportunities for more deserving players.

The challenges surrounding Craven Week extend beyond selection debates. There are also significant flaws in the way the tournament itself is structured.

Take The Sharks from KwaZulu-Natal as an example. Their 2025 Craven Week campaign was disappointing, yet they are widely expected to be one of the stronger teams in 2026. Under previous seeding systems, last year’s performances would have eliminated their chances of competing for the title this year.

Instead, thanks to a change in the format, they remain on a pathway to the final.

The flip side is that the Free State who performed reasonably well last year, now find themselves disadvantaged. Anyone who has followed Craven Week over an extended period knows that the young Cheetahs are capable of producing exceptional teams in some years and ordinary ones in others. It’s a common trend amongst just about every team except the Western Province main team.

The rollercoaster rides highlight the fundamental flaw.

There is simply no logical reason why an age-group team should be judged on what transpired 12 months earlier. In many cases, there is little to no continuity between squads. The players have changed, the coaches may have changed, and the circumstances are entirely different. Even at Under-20 World Cup level it is archaic. Current form simply has to be prioritised over prior year results.

The efforts of those responsible for determining Craven Week fixtures are admirable. They now attempt to consider Under-16 performances and other indicators as well when working out seedings. However, there is still a significant reliance on historical data.

Wherever possible, the current year’s teams should be judged on the current year’s performances. Matchups should be determined on that basis.

One possible solution to the above challenges would be to expand Craven Week from 16 teams to 20.

The tournament could continue operating with two groups – just of 10 teams each instead of 8. To reduce the workload on selectors, who are required to remain focused throughout every match, game durations could be shortened from 70 minutes to 60 minutes. This would result in five matches per day, producing a total of 300 minutes of rugby compared to the current 280 minutes generated by four 70-minute fixtures.

Most importantly, the tournament could extend the adjudication model to determine the semifinal pathway based on performances after the first day’s play, rather than it being dictated by outdated seedings put in place before the event even kicks off.

Proposed Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday Group

The following unions, representing the strongest and most established rugby systems in the country, would receive automatic entry:

1. Western Province A
2. Western Province B
3. Bulls
4. Lions
5. Sharks
6. Free State

The remaining four places would be determined through regional qualifying matches prior to Craven Week (most of these schools already attend the same Bondedae).

South Western Districts vs Boland

SWD are generally competitive but draw heavily from a relatively small number of schools and should therefore be required to qualify. Boland remains one of the country’s richest rugby regions despite regularly losing talent to larger unions and can occasionally produce outstanding teams.

Pumas vs Valke

The Pumas would be expected to win this fixture more often than not. However, the playoff creates an opportunity should the Valke produce an outstanding group or the Pumas endure a weaker cycle.

Eastern Province vs Border

These neighbouring unions have long-established schoolboy competitions and healthy rugby interaction. Border, however, increasingly finds itself under pressure due to player migration and the financial constraints associated with a struggling union structure.

Eastern Province would likely dominate this fixture most years, but the playoff system would still provide Border with an avenue to compete. EP has also shown repeatedly over the past decade, including in 2024, that they can assemble highly competitive Craven Week teams.

Griffons vs Griquas

This matchup offers Griquas a realistic pathway into the elite section. Should it prove ineffective over time, their position could potentially be reassigned to Leopards.

The four qualifying winners would join the six automatic entrants in the main Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday section.

There would be no quarter-finals. Instead, selectors and adjudicators would evaluate the five fixtures played on match day one and determine the four most deserving teams to progress to the semi-finals.

Monday-Wednesday-Friday Group

The four losing regional playoff teams would join:

1. Leopards
2. Limpopo
3. Bulls B
4. Lions B
5. Sharks B
6. Western Province C

One of the key objectives of this structure would be to increase participation and broaden exposure for players in the major rugby centres.

More importantly, it would create additional pathways for talented youngsters who narrowly miss out on A-team selection. By expanding opportunities at Craven Week, the net for SA Schools selection would also widen, ensuring that more deserving players are identified and rewarded.

Craven Week does have its challenges, but it remains the pinnacle of schoolboy rugby in South Africa. For many first-team players, selection is still a major goal, carrying a strong sense of pride and, in many cases, opening the door to national recognition and even a better path into pro rugby.

Expanding the tournament and adopting a more flexible, merit-based knockout structure would not diminish its prestige. If anything, it would strengthen the competition, reward current performance rather than historical results, and ensure that more of the country’s best provincial teams are given the stage they deserve.

On the other hand, there is a growing debate around the continued relevance of Craven Week, driven in part by the racial and broader political dynamics that surround it, as well as the exorbitant costs associated …

Les matchs de la première journée de la Serie A italienne pour la saison 2026-2027 sont désormais connus. Le championnat débutera officiellement lors du week-end du 23 août 2026 avec déjà plusieurs affiches intéressantes pour lancer cette nouvelle campagne.

Tenant du titre, l’Inter Milan entamera la défense de son Scudetto devant son public. Les Nerazzurri recevront Monza à domicile, une formation modeste mais ambitieuse qui tentera de créer la surprise. De son côté, la Juventus débutera par un déplacement délicat sur la pelouse de Frosinone, une équipe réputée accrocheuse à domicile et désireuse de bien lancer sa saison face à l’un des cadors du championnat.

L’AC Milan, autre grand club italien, commencera également loin de ses bases. Les Rossoneri se rendront à Turin pour affronter le Torino, dans un duel toujours intense et disputé du nord de l’Italie. Enfin, la surprise de la saison dernière, Como, poursuivra sa progression en Serie A avec un déplacement sur le terrain de l’Udinese. Une affiche intéressante entre deux formations aux ambitions différentes, mais capables de belles performances.

Les affiches de la première journée

Atalanta vs Sassuolo
Bologne vs Lazio
Frosinone vs Juventus
Genoa vs Naples
Inter vs Monza
Parme vs Cagliari
Roma vs Fiorentina
Torina vs AC Milan
Udinese vs Como
Venezia vs Lecce

The post Serie A (2026/27) : Les matchs de la première journée dévoilés appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

La deuxième partie de la saison en Mtn Elite Two commence ce jour à Yaoundé. Les huit équipes engagées pour les Play-offs down descendent dans l’arène. En effet, quatre matchs sont au programme. Au centre technique de la Fécafoot à Odza, deux matchs sont à suivre. Dès 13h30, le TKC lance les hostilités face à

L’article Play-Offs Down : quatre matchs de haute facture à suivre ce jour ! est apparu en premier sur Camfoot.com.