Le Maroc met en garde l'Espagne contre une instrumentalisation politi…

Plus d’un mois après l’irruption à Ceuta de plus de 70 000 personnes venues du Maroc, la déflagration causée par cette crise migratoire sans précédent continue d’agiter la classe politique et la société espagnoles. Dans les médias et les déclarations de certains responsables, principalement de droite, le Maroc est mis en cause, accusé d’être responsable de ce franchissement massif de la frontière. Silencieux depuis le début de la crise, le ministère marocain des Affaires étrangères a publié cette semaine un communiqué pour mettre en garde le voisin espagnol contre l’instrumentalisation de la tragédie de Ceuta.

South Africa’s oldest domestic rugby competition will crown its 2026 champion in Kimberley on Saturday, when defending champions Griquas host the Pumas in the Currie Cup Premier Division final. djcc.club

Layered with recent history, contrasting styles and unfinished business, this domestic title decider will serve as the perfect ‘curtain raiser’ for rugby fans as the build up begins for the fourth Test between the Springboks and All Blacks later on Saturday night (23:00 SA time).

The Currie Cup final will kick off a kinder time, 15:00, and will be broadcast on SuperSport.

KEEP TRACK OF THE LIVE SCORING FOR THE CURRIE CUP FINAL

Teams

Griquas: 15 Stefan Coetzee, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Zane Bester, 12 Mnombo Zwelendaba, 11 Sako Makata, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Bobby Alexander, 8 Carl Els, 7 Marco de Witt, 6 Lourens Oosthuizen, 5 Albert Liebenberg (captain), 4 Malembe Mpofu, 3 Ig Prinsloo, 2 Tiaan Lange, 1 Leon Lyons
Replacements: 16 Janco Uys, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Ntobeko Shezi, 19 Derik Pretorius, 20 Carl van der Merwe, 21 Jack Hart, 22 Liam Koen, 23 Connor Mahoney

Pumas: 15 Jaycee Nel, 14 Darren Adonis, 13 Sango Xamashe, 12 Wian van Niekerk, 11 Banie Britz, 10 Clinton Swart, 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Willie Engelbrecht (captain), 7 Andre Goedhals, 6 Ntsika Fisanti, 5 Tiaan de Klerk, 4 JJ Scheepers, 3 Sampie Swiegers, 2 Chyle van Zyl, 1 Etienne Janeke
Replacements: 16 Gustav du Rand, 17 Zukisa Sali, 18 Junior Banda, 19 Stephan Krugel, 20 Ruwald van der Merwe, 21 Thabo Ndimande, 22 Tino Swanepoel, 23 Russwill Fredericks

Griquas’ dominance this season continued in last weekend’s semi-final, where they dismantled the Lions 52-12 at home in the Diamond City, and which does suggest they will be favourites at home. The holders ran in seven tries, overwhelmed the visitors at scrum time, and effectively ended the contest before halftime with a 35-5 lead.

The Pumas’ route to the final has been more turbulent, but equally impressive. The men from Mpumalanga side finished third on the table after four wins from seven league matches, but their campaign – which started with two early defeats to the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV and Lions in the opening rounds – gathered momentum at exactly the right time.

They outplayed the Cheetahs 52-26 in their final league fixture in Nelspruit to clinch a playoff place before backing that performance up with a gritty 27-24 away semi-final victory in Bloemfontein.

Unlike Griquas’ eye-catching semi-final performance, the Pumas had to fight for every inch in Bloemfontein. Trailing at halftime, they produced a powerful second-half comeback against the side of Frans Steyn before Clinton Swart’s 70th-minute penalty goal settled a tense contest.

The result also sealed back-to-back victories over a Cheetahs side that had finished second on the regular-season log, four points behind Griquas.

Historically, the men from Kimberley possess the richer Currie Cup legacy. They lifted the trophy in 1970 and famously ended a 55-year wait by winning the 2025 title in Johannesburg. Saturday therefore presents an opportunity to secure a historic back-to-back cup success in a sixth Currie Cup final appearance.

The Pumas, meanwhile, remain one of the competition’s modern disruptors. Their greatest moment came in 2022, when they travelled to Kimberley and defeated Griquas 26-19 to lift their maiden Currie Cup title.

L’Olympique de Marseille n’avance plus en Ligue 1. Battu par Rennes (1-0) vendredi soir au Roazhon Park, le club phocéen a concédé une troisième défaite consécutive en championnat après son succès inaugural contre Strasbourg. Une nouvelle désillusion que Timothy Weah a assumée au coup de sifflet final, tandis que CJ Egan-Riley a préféré insister sur les éléments positifs montrés par son équipe.

Weah assume sa responsabilité

Capitaine de l’OM depuis le début de la saison, Timothy Weah n’a pas cherché à se défausser après cette nouvelle défaite. Interrogé au micro de Ligue 1+, l’international américain a reconnu ne pas avoir livré le match qu’il espérait et estime notamment qu’il aurait dû faire mieux sur l’ouverture du score rennaise.

« Je prends la défaite à mon compte. Je suis le leader et je n’ai pas été à 100 %. Je manque de confiance. J’assume totalement cette défaite. Je dois faire mieux sur le premier but », a déclaré le latéral droit marseillais. Dans un contexte déjà compliqué par les nombreux départs enregistrés cet été, Weah a également appelé son équipe à rester soudée : « Les supporters sont avec nous, je dois faire mieux. Il faut continuer de travailler avant Besiktas. On reste une famille. »

Egan-Riley veut s’appuyer sur le contenu

Le discours de CJ Egan-Riley était lui aussi marqué par la déception, mais le défenseur marseillais a tenu à souligner les bonnes séquences réalisées par l’OM, notamment en première période. Pour lui, le résultat ne doit pas effacer complètement le contenu proposé par les Phocéens.

« On est forcément déçus car on a fait les efforts pour gagner ce match, notamment en première période. C’est une nouvelle déception, une défaite ce soir mais il y a des choses positives. On est déçus mais on a montré qu’on était là », a-t-il expliqué. Avant d’ajouter : « Il y a beaucoup de déception dans le vestiaire après ce match mais on va continuer à travailler, on a des joueurs de qualité dans ce groupe, on essaie de faire les efforts au quotidien et il faut désormais regarder vers l’avenir. »

L’OM n’aura pas beaucoup de temps pour digérer ce nouveau revers. Jeudi, les Marseillais se déplaceront à Besiktas, avec l’ambition de retrouver rapidement une dynamique plus positive et de réagir après cette série de trois défaites en championnat.

The post OM : Weah prend ses responsabilités après la défaite contre Rennes, Egan-Riley veut retenir le positif appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

The Springboks have reached the final Test of a fascinating four-match series against the All Blacks that will conclude in Baltimore, USA, on Saturday.

A victory for Rassie Erasmus’ team will guarantee a historic 3-1 series victory, while the All Blacks will be hoping to clinch a victory that would conversely ensure it ends in a 2-2 draw.

Erasmus has opted for consistency in selection for the third week in a row, while New Zealand coach Dave Rennie has shuffled his team, partly due to injuries, but also with a desire to freshen up his side after back-to-back defeats.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 23:00 (SA time).

KEEP TRACK OF THE LIVE SCORING AS THE SPRINGBOKS AND ALL BLACKS DO BATTLE IN BALTIMORE

Springboks: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.

New Zealand: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Josh Moorby, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor (captain), 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Rieko Ioane, 23 Beauden Barrett.

Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (England)

Springbok record against New Zealand:
Played: 113, Won: 45, Lost: 64, Drawn: 4. Points for: 1 928; Points against: 2 352; Tries scored: 188; Tries conceded: 261. Win %: 39,8%.

Miscellaneous:

• Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok player of all time to 146 caps when he takes the field.
• The loose trio of Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Jasper Wiese will extend the record they set last week to overtake Francois Louw, Willem Alberts, and Duane Vermeuelen (17) as the loose trio with the most Test starts to 19 matches.
• The Springboks have only played three Test matches in the USA in history where they defeated the USA 38-7 in 1981 and 43-10 in 2001, while they suffered a narrow 22-20 defeat against Wales in Washington DC in 2018, which was Erasmus’ first Test in charge as head coach.
• This match will mark the first Springbok Test in history to be played in Baltimore.
• Jasper Wiese requires only one more Test match appearance after this encounter to join the group of players who have earned 50 Test caps.
• The Springboks have won seven of the last nine matches against the All Blacks dating back to August 2023.
• The 2031 Rugby World Cup will be hosted in the USA.
• The total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up is 927. There are 327 caps in the backline, with 600 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 277 caps.
• The average caps per player in the backline is 47, the forwards 75, while the players on the bench average 35.

Orlando Pirates have done extensive business as they look to defend their Betway Premiership crown. Which deals go down as their best and worst?

Orlando Pirates’ best business

Gamphani Lungu went off on a stretcher during the 4-0 win against Kruger United, which is a blow for the Buccaneers. The Zambian winger has four goals and two assists from five Betway Premiership appearances this term. Pirates can ill-afford Lungu to be out for a prolonged period. Signed from Siwelele, this already looks like a shrewd piece of business. If the board can resist offers for Oswin Appollis, they’ll be firm favourites to retain their title.

Notable mention: Mohau Nkota has returned on loan.

Worst Orlando Pirates signing, the Temu Erling Haaland?

Pedersen arrives with an impressive pedigree. The striker represented Norway at every junior international level from Under-15 through to Under-21.

Across the last four-and-a-half seasons with Sogndal and Moss FK, he scored 51 goals and supplied eight assists in 117 appearances. For Pirates, the 27-year-old ‘Temu Haaland’ has managed two substitute appearances, one against Sekhukhune in the MTN8 and one against the same opponents in the league. No goals and no assists in a Pirates jersey.

The Pirates academy is churning out talent and making money

Scintillating form in the 2025-26 season earned Relebohile Mofokeng a high-profile move to Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise. He followed Mohau Nkota and Mbekezeli Mbokazi out of the club, although Nkota has ironically returned on loan. The Pirates academy has churned out some gems and earned big money from their sales. Mofokeng scored 10 goals and assisted eight times in 27 league outings last term. For Union SG, he’s got two goals in four Jupiter Pro League outings in 2026-27, and he also scored the clinching penalty in a shootout win over Club Brugge in the Belgian Super Cup final in July. Bafana legend Shaun Bartlett expects Mofokeng’s stay in Belgium to be short.