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Français (Afrique)RDC: James Swan, nouveau patron de la Monusco, a pris ses fonctions
James Swan, le successeur de la Guinéenne Bintou Keita à la tête de la Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en République démocratique du Congo (Monusco), aura deux grandes priorités pour son début de mandat : mettre en route le mécanisme de surveillance et de vérification du cessez-le-feu prévu par l'accord de Doha pour ramener la paix dans l'Est du pays d'une part ; obtenir la réouverture des principaux aéroports du Nord et du Sud-Kivu et y garantir la liberté de circulation des Casques bleus de l'autre.
Edouard Mendy eyes Saudi Pro League title with Al-Ahli
Senegal national team goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has maintained his focus is to help Al-Ahli Saudi FC claim the Saudi Pro League title at the end of the season.
Al-Ahli are currently sitting third on the 18-team league table with 65 points, five fewer than leaders Al Nassr, who are led by Cristiano Ronaldo. Al-Ahli have the same number of points as second-placed Al-Hilal.
Despite the five-point gap, the former Chelsea goalkeeper insists they still have what it takes to be crowned champions at the end of the season.
“Now it’s the final sprint, so we knew we had to take the points because we dropped some in Al Qadsiah for the first time for a while. So, we knew that was very important for the three points,” Mendy said as quoted by ESPN.
‘We want to stay very close’
“You can see the way we started was very good with a lot of intensity, a lot of good combinations with the ball. Also, without the ball, we pressed them high. We dominated the whole game.
“And you can see we have a lot of injuries, but we’re still fighting. We stick together and you can see, no matter who plays, we perform. This is the most important.”
After their 3-0 win against Damac, Al-Ahli will return to action on Wednesday against Al-Fayha Club at King Salman Sport City Stadium.
According to Mendy, his desire is to keep a clean sheet in the game.
“Yeah, it’s good. It’s good for the team; it’s good for myself, obviously,” said Mendy.
“We know that if we don’t concede, we have a higher chance to win the game. So, for us, it’s really important to not concede goals, to keep the goal closed. So [doing so against Damac] is good – and we have to just keep on going.”
Al-Ahli has won nine Saudi Professional Leagues, 13 Kings Cups, 6 Crown Prince Cups, 2 Super Cups and 5 Federations Cups.
In international club football, they have won 1 AFC Champions League Elite, a record equal of three GCC Champions League and one Arab Club Championship.
Al-Ahli was the first Saudi club to win the league and the King’s Cup in the same season, and has done so twice – in 1978 and 2016.
Havertz nets late winner as Arsenal edge Sporting Lisbon
LISBON, Portugal, April 8, 2026 – Kai Havertz scored a stoppage-time winner as Arsenal beat Sporting 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon.
The second-half substitute poked the ball past Rui Silva late on to give the Premier League leaders a narrow advantage going into next week’s second leg at Emirates Stadium.
The pressure was on Arsenal coming into this match after they suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time this season.
And that tension was nearly increased further when Sporting left-back Maxi Araujo crashed a shot against the Arsenal crossbar early on after a superb through ball from Ousmane Diomande.
The Gunners had plenty of possession in the first half but could not translate that into clear-cut chances. The closest they came to scoring was when Noni Madueke hit the crossbar direct from a corner.
Sporting continually threatened with fast counter-attacks and almost punished the Gunners when Araujo made another burst forward and cut the ball back to Francisco Trincao, who pulled his shot wide.
Martin Zubimendi thought he had given Arsenal a second-half lead when he curled in from the edge of the box, but the strike was ruled out as former Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres was offside in the build-up.
The hosts piled on the pressure in the latter stages and David Raya made three good saves to keep the scores level, before Havertz snatched the win for the Gunners.
The victory is Arsenal’s first in three matches and gives Mikel Arteta’s side a boost as they return to Premier League action against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Arsenal analysis: Win can be springboard for rest of campaign
This win was not a vintage Arsenal performance but beating Sporting could prove to be a pivotal moment in the Gunners’ season.
Arsenal had been criticised after two successive defeats and looked like they would be frustrated again before Havertz scored the dramatic winner.
Arteta’s side struggled to create chances despite having more of the ball throughout – and currently do not have a forward player in top form as they look to win a major trophy for the first time in six years.
But by producing a resilient display in Lisbon against a quality Sporting side and grabbing the victory, Arsenal’s players have received a welcome boost of confidence heading into the business end of the season.
It would have been a very nervy atmosphere at the Emirates on Saturday against Bournemouth if the Gunners returned to league action after three winless fixtures.
But now they may be able to play with more freedom after shaking off the painful cup losses to Manchester City and Southampton.
The only negative for Arteta on Tuesday was that Martin Odegaard had to come off with a knock – his captain’s campaign has been blighted by fitness problems.
Sporting analysis: Impressive hosts will feel hard done by
Sporting had won their past 17 home matches and played like a side that was filled with confidence.
This was their first loss at home in the Champions League this season.
Araujo was a constant threat to the Gunners’ backline with his bursting runs from left-back and the hosts’ gameplan of quick counter-attacks nearly paid off.
Centre-back Diomande produced an impressive display before Arsenal’s winning goal and again showed why he has been linked with a number of English clubs.
He battled well with former team-mate Gyokeres and showed his quality on the ball to release Araujo, for his effort which struck the bar, with an outside-of-the-foot pass from deep in his own half.
Sporting will feel hard done by to lose the match late on, but the Portuguese champions will believe they are still in the tie with only a one-goal deficit to overturn.
What’s next for these teams?
Arsenal return to Premier League action and host Bournemouth on Saturday (12:30 BST).
Sporting also play on Saturday when they travel to Estrela Amadora (20:30 BST).
The post Havertz nets late winner as Arsenal edge Sporting Lisbon appeared first on Capital Sports.
Inquiétude autour de Farès Ghedjemis
L’international algérien Farès Ghedjemis a participé à la dernière rencontre de son club Frosinone Calcio face à Calcio Padova, contribuant à un nouveau succès de son équipe.
Toutefois, sa prestation a été écourtée en raison d’une blessure survenue dans le dernier quart d’heure, contraignant le staff technique à le remplacer par mesure de précaution. Une situation qui représente un coup dur pour le vice-leader de la Serie B italienne, engagé dans une lutte serrée pour l’accession. Même si les premiers éléments médicaux se veulent rassurants et n’indiquent pas une blessure grave, l’incertitude demeure quant à la disponibilité du joueur pour la prochaine rencontre, programmée vendredi soir face à Palermo FC.
Une affiche importante face à un concurrent direct pour la montée, où la présence du milieu offensif algérien pourrait peser dans l’équilibre de l’équipe. Le joueur de 23 ans, remplacé à titre préventif après avoir ressenti des douleurs, fait actuellement l’objet d’un suivi attentif de la part du staff médical. La décision finale concernant sa participation sera prise en fonction de l’évolution de son état physique dans les prochains jours.
Parmi les joueurs les plus performants de la Serie B
Son éventuelle absence constituerait un véritable handicap pour une formation qui s’appuie fortement sur ses qualités techniques et sa capacité à faire la différence dans les derniers mètres. Auteur d’une saison remarquable, Ghedjemis s’est imposé comme l’un des éléments les plus en vue de la Serie B. Selon plusieurs évaluations, notamment celles relayées par la presse spécialisée, il figure parmi les joueurs les plus performants du championnat cette saison, grâce à des statistiques solides : 12 buts inscrits et 3 passes décisives, contribuant activement à la position actuelle de son équipe au classement. Ses performances ne sont pas passées inaperçues, attirant l’attention de plusieurs clubs en Italie et à l’étranger. Des formations telles que Atalanta BC, Como 1907, Bologna FC 1909 ou encore Celtic FC suivent de près son évolution.
Une grosse concurrence en sélection
Malgré cet intérêt, le joueur reste concentré sur son objectif principal : aider Frosinone à valider son billet pour la Serie A avant d’envisager un éventuel départ. Sur le plan international, Ghedjemis a récemment connu sa première apparition sous les couleurs de la sélection nationale dirigée par Vladimir Petkovic. Convoqué lors du dernier stage, il a été aligné en seconde période lors d’un match amical face au Guatemala, une rencontre au cours de laquelle il a marqué dès son entrée en jeu, signant ainsi son premier but international.
Malgré cette entrée en matière prometteuse, la concurrence reste particulièrement relevée au sein de l’effectif algérien. Avec la présence de cadres confirmés et de jeunes talents en pleine progression, à l’image de Riyad Mahrez, Anis Hadj-Moussa ou encore Ilan Kebbal, les chances de Ghedjemis de figurer dans la liste finale pour la Coupe du monde 2026 demeurent, à ce stade, limitées. Une situation qui dépendra largement de sa régularité en club et de sa capacité à enchaîner les performances au plus haut niveau.
-DJAMEL O.
L’article Inquiétude autour de Farès Ghedjemis est apparu en premier sur Foot Afrique.
Smash community angry after pro claims Melee is competitive, Ultimate is casual
While Super Smash Bros. is often seen as a united esports scene from the outside, there has always been a bit of tension between Melee and Ultimate players. The two games cannot be more different, and their players are different as well. Recently, the FGC noted that Melee players seem to have a “superiority complex” over Ultimate players, sparking debate among pros.
The original meme started in late March 2026, with one someone tweeting: “A lot of Melee players have a huge superiority complex over Ultimate players for playing Melee, I’m noticing.”
Someone quoted the tweet and said: “A lot of chess players have a huge superiority complex over checkers players, I’m noticing.”
The gist? Melee is way more complex than Ultimate. While Ultimate is newer and more popular – especially among younger players – it’s often seen as far less technical and much more forgiving.
Melee vs. Ultimate: Is One More Competitive Than the Other?
New York Fox main Dawud “Aklo” Rahman weighed in on the discourse on April 5th, 2026. After winning plenty of tournaments in Melee and Ultimate, he felt he could provide valuable insight. But the FGC was not happy.
“Ultimate is a pretty fun game casually. But it’s one of the least competitive games I’ve seen played competitively. That’s not to say you can’t get good at the game — it’s just that getting good at Ultimate often rewards some sort of degen jank or not interacting, whereas getting good at Melee often rewards difficult execution,” he said.
“Not only does the game lack competitive mechanics, but it actually has anti-competitive mechanics. The input lag is abysmal. There is noticeably more input lag than in Smash 4, and the game has double the input lag of Melee AT BEST.”
He concluded: “The next up-and-coming Ult player will be another 13-year-old ‘prodigy’ who mains Minecraft Steve anyway. Melee is one of the most technical fighting games with a dedicated fanbase and a captivating history. Competitive platform fighting games at the scale in which know them today would not exist without SSBM.
“If Melee is fun to you, play it. If Ultimate is fun to you, play it. But let’s not lie to ourselves lol.”
The response? Ding, ding, ding: angry Smash players! Many people felt he was “putting down” Ultimate players and showcasing “elitism.” Others felt that games don’t have to be overly technical to be competitive.
And some didn’t even feel Melee was superior at all. One guy wrote: “A game that was rushed in 11 months and accidentally became competitive with hundreds of glitches while breaking thousands of people’s hands is not a better ‘competitive’ game.
“It is better for a small group of elitists, while Ultimate is better competitively for a broader audience.”
Melee Has a Better Competitive Scene
Both Melee and Ultimate are competitive, just in different ways. Just because Ultimate has more viable characters and fewer technical inputs doesn’t mean skill isn’t required to come out on top at a tournament. Everyone is playing the same game, so you gotta play it better. That’s competition.
However, I think the Ultimate esports scene is not as exciting. Aklo is right about one thing: Steve. I’ve watched many Majors where the Top 8 was made up of random teenage Steve players rather than well-known pros. You can argue that’s good all you want, but it’s boring to watch. I have actually left a few times.
Meanwhile, Melee has older players who have been around for years. Decades for some. There are intense rivalries, exciting career arcs, intense matchups, crazy upsets, and players always doing insane things to push the boundaries of a 20-year-old game. It’s just incredible to watch. There is nothing else like it in all of esports. They’re doing it for pure grit and passion.
The Ultimate scene has become more diverse lately, now that Japan travels internationally. Although some may argue that it’s usually just Japanese players in the Top 8’s now. But I love Mr. Game & Watch, so I don’t mind it! What I was going to say, however, is that Ultimate has still lost its overall magic. The scene’s hype is dwindling.
But Super Smash Bros. 6 is coming, which is part of the reason. This will re-energize the new-gen scene for sure. Through it all, however, Melee will be there. It sticks around no matter how many new Smash are made. But again: I’m just saying Melee is more exciting to watch. I’m not saying Ultimate is not competitive. The competition is just a bit more boring to watch.
The post Smash community angry after pro claims Melee is competitive, Ultimate is casual appeared first on Esports Insider.