Foot: entorse à la cheville pour le Parisien Bradley Barcola

L'ailier du PSG Bradley Barcola, buteur contre Chelsea mardi 17 mars (3-0), a été « victime d'une entorse ligamentaire sévère de la cheville droite » et « sera indisponible ces prochaines semaines », a annoncé le club ce mercredi. En pleine forme ces derniers temps avec un but aussi au match aller, Barcola était sorti en deuxième mi-temps mardi, grimaçant. Son indisponibilité est un coup dur pour le PSG à quelques semaines de son quart de finale de Ligue des champions. Le PSG devra donc faire sans Barcola contre Nice, samedi (21h00) pour la 27e journée de Ligue 1.

La Fédération royale marocaine de football prend acte de la décision rendue par la Commission d’appel de la Confédération africaine de Football (CAF), retirant la CAN 2025 au Sénégal. Le Maroc remporte ainsi cette compétition au tapis vert (3-0). La Fédération dit réaffirmer son attachement au respect des règles, à la clarté du cadre compétitif […]

L’article Retrait de la CAN 2025 au Sénégal : la fédération marocaine prend acte est apparu en premier sur Tchadinfos.

La liste de la sélection nationale algérienne pour le stage du mois de mars, ponctué par deux matchs amicaux face au Guatemala et à l’Uruguay, marque un tournant significatif. Le sélectionneur Vladimir Petković aborde une nouvelle phase dans la gestion des Verts avec une refonte notable de l’effectif après la dernière Coupe d’Afrique des Nations. En effet, pas moins de dix joueurs présents lors de la CAN 2025 ne figurent pas dans cette nouvelle liste. Une décision loin d’être anodine, qui s’inscrit dans une stratégie de renouvellement en vue de la Coupe du Monde 2026. Entre blessures, baisse de régime et choix tactiques, plusieurs facteurs expliquent ces absences. Ismaël Bennacer, le grand absent de la liste Parmi les noms les plus marquants, Ismaël Bennacer fait figure de grand absent. Le milieu de terrain, récemment revenu de blessure, peine encore à retrouver son meilleur niveau. Une situation similaire concerne Jaouen Hadjam et Ilan Kebbal, tous deux indisponibles en raison de pépins physiques persistants. D’autres joueurs, à l’image de Samir Chergui, n’ont pas encore retrouvé leur pleine condition malgré une reprise des entraînements, ce qui a conduit le staff technique à privilégier la prudence. Mohamed Amine Tougaï et Adam Zorgane écartés En parallèle, certaines absences relèvent de choix purement sportifs. C’est le cas de Mohamed Amine Tougaï, écarté au profit de nouveaux profils défensifs comme Achraf Abada et Sohaib Naïr, appelés à insuffler du sang neuf à l’arrière-garde. Au milieu de terrain, Adam Zorgane paie son manque d’impact durable en sélection, malgré des prestations correctes en club. Cette situation a ouvert la porte à de jeunes talents prometteurs, notamment Yassine Titraoui, dont les performances ont convaincu le staff technique. Baghdad Bounedjah n’a plus la confiance de Petkovic Le secteur offensif connaît lui aussi une transformation majeure. Des éléments expérimentés comme Baghdad Bounedjah, Monsef Bakrar et Redouane Berkane sont absents de cette liste. Un choix fort qui traduit la volonté de Vladimir Petković de repenser complètement l’animation offensive. Le sélectionneur mise désormais sur des profils plus mobiles et polyvalents, à l’image de Nadir Benbouali, Amine Chiakha, ainsi que le retour d’Amine Gouiri. Avec cette liste, le message est clair : aucun statut n’est garanti, et seuls la forme du moment, la régularité et la capacité à s’intégrer dans le projet collectif permettront de s’imposer durablement sous l’ère Petković.

BlogEffondrements au Cricket : Quand la Logistique et le Mental Font Tout BasculerAu-delà du terrain : pourquoi les équipes de cricket s'effondrent-elles vraiment ? Le cricket, à l'instar de tous les grands sports collectifs, oscille en permanence entre la gl...Ouvrir →

L’article Équipe d’Algérie : Dix joueurs de la CAN 2025 écartés par Vladimir Petković est apparu en premier sur AfricaFootUnited.

Ermelo-born former ATP tennis player John-Laffnie de Jager sat down with The South African’s Dave Marshall to discuss his experiences of winning seven doubles titles.

He won seven ATP doubles titles during his career, four of them alongside compatriot David Adams.

Success was immediate

The pair’s early success was immediate.

“We just started, and we had a good run,” De Jager recalls.

“The first tournament we played together; we made the final in Vienna. Then we won back-to-back in Rotterdam and London – the first year they held a tournament in London. Those two indoors tournaments were probably the most fun and memorable for me.”

But Olympic glory proved elusive. The duo finished fourth at the Sydney 2000 Games, a result De Jager still calls “horrible.”

“It’s the worst, man, coming fourth at the Olympics. It’s so close. In South Africa, an Olympic medal is massive. You’re right there … and then it slips away,” he says.

The pair lost a tight semi-final to Alex Corretja and Alberto Costa, 6-4 in the third.

“What made the loss even worse, we felt that if we had to play them 100 times, we would have won 99 times.”

Crushing defeat

The semi-final loss followed a crushing defeat to Sebastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor in the earlier rounds, but even in disappointment, John-Laffnie de Jager reflected on their strength as a team.

That year, De Jager and Adams had beaten the legendary Woodbridge-Woodforde “Woodies” trio three times in major events.

The third-place match at the Olympics proved equally dramatic.

At 4-3 in the second set, with break points for them, David Adams – usually flawless on overheads – misfired.

Moments later, rain started pelting the court. The water was flying straight into David’s eye, the umpire suspended play, and the tension mounted.

“The Olympics were always huge for me,” John-Laffnie de Jager said.

“I played Davis Cup, but the Olympics – it was something special. That semi-final, that chaos – it’s one of those matches I’ll never forget.”

“The talent was there,” De Jager said.

“It just wasn’t our day at the Olympics.”

Runners-up at the Australian Open and French Open

John-Laffnie de Jager reached the mixed doubles final at two Grand Slams: the 1995 French Open and the 1997 Australian Open.

While the French Open in 1995 was De Jager’s first final, he admits the Australian Open holds a special place in his memory.

“The finals in Australia were more special for me,” De Jager said.

“I love Australia.”

Clay, he explained, was never his surface.

“I still have marks on my knees from falling and sliding when I was 15, 16,” he recalled.

“I spent so much time on my knees on the clay.”

For John-Laffnie de Jager, the hard courts of Melbourne – despite coming later in his career – were the stage that left the most lasting impression.

Five Grand Slam Semi-Final Appearances

Reaching the semi-finals of a Grand Slam is a career milestone. Doing it five times, with five different partners, speaks to adaptability and resilience – qualities that defined much of John-Laffnie de Jager’s doubles career.

His first semi-final came at the Australian Open, partnering Marcos Andruska in men’s doubles – an experience he still considers the most memorable.

“That one was special,” De Jager said.

“It was my first.”

The run was anything but straightforward. Along the way, they defeated second seeds Kelly Jones and Rick Leach, followed by Wayne Ferreira and Peter Norval.

But in the quarter-finals, disaster nearly struck.

While jumping for an overhead, De Jager landed awkwardly.

“It felt like I jumped onto a sword,” he recalled.

De Jager collapsed to the ground; ankle badly injured.

Tournament trainer Bill Norris assessed him and initially ruled him out. However, De Jager refused to accept it.

“I told him, ‘If you strap it, I’m playing.’”

Norris agreed – but only after making him sign a waiver absolving the medical staff of responsibility.

With his ankle heavily taped, De Jager returned to court, hopping between points, and somehow finished the match.

“We ended up winning,” he said.

Their run finally ended in the semi-finals against Danie Visser and Laurie Warder, but the moment left a lasting impression – not just for the result, but for the fight it took to get there.

Beyond that breakthrough, John-Laffnie de Jager reached Grand Slam semi-finals across all disciplines.

He made the Australian Open men’s doubles semi-finals, the US Open men’s doubles semi-finals, and advanced to the semi-finals of mixed doubles at Wimbledon and the US Open, partnering Jill Hetherington.

In total, he reached five Grand Slam semi-finals and contested two finals.

Asked which stood out most, John-Laffnie de Jager’s answer was immediate.

“The first one,” he said.

“And then Wimbledon.”

Wimbledon, he explains, always carried extra meaning. Grass was his favourite surface – even though it punished his body more than any other.

“I always stayed so low,” De Jager said.

“That was terrible for my back.”

The cold London conditions only added to the strain. Between matches, recovery became his routine.

“I’d practice, do what I had to do, then go back to my apartment and lie flat on my back,” De Jager said.

Pain, preparation, and perseverance – it was the price of competing at a place he still calls the most special tournament in the world.

Favourite and Least Favourite Doubles Partner

When asked about his favourite doubles’ partners, John-Laffnie de Jager’s answer was immediate: Christo van Rensburg.

“Christo taught me how to play doubles,” he says.

“I learned so much from him. My whole doubles career really started because of him. I travelled with him for probably 12 weeks that year. He gave me the break I needed.”

Other partnerships were equally memorable.

John-Laffnie de Jager often played with Robbie Koenig, calling him “best mates” and praising the fun they had on court together. And of course, his partnership with David Adams produced some of his best results.

Interestingly, De Jager noted, he often played on the left side with David, despite personally preferring the right-hand side.

“If you tell me you’re going to play for your life, I’ll pick the right. But my best results with David were on the left side. With Christo and Robbie, I was usually on the deuce court; with David, the ad court.”

For De Jager, success in doubles was as much about friendship and trust as it was about skill.

Even a career with multiple doubles titles has its tricky partnerships. For De Jager, that distinction goes to Nikolay Davydenko.

“I played with him at Wimbledon one year,” De Jager recalled.

“The only time he came to the net was to shake hands. It was hilarious.”

Their first-round match against Rick Leach and Brian MacPhie quickly revealed the challenge.

Davydenko stood in the alley while he served, leaving De Jager to cover nearly the entire court.

“Rick Leach looked at me and started laughing – he knew it was going to be easy because I’d have to do everything,” De Jager said.

Despite his attempts to guide Davydenko into better positioning, the Russian remained steadfast.

“He just wouldn’t change. It was a good experience,” De Jager laughed, “but we got tidied up.”

Dave Marshall caught up with John-Laffnie de Jager at the 2026 Australian Open in Melbourne, exclusively for The South African.

La sélection de Madagascar a officialisé son programme pour la prochaine fenêtre internationale de mars. Les Barea disputeront deux rencontres amicales en Turquie afin de peaufiner leur préparation pour les prochaines échéances. Le premier test est prévu le 28 mars face au Kirghizistan. Une rencontre qui permettra au staff technique malgache d’évaluer l’état de forme de son groupe face à une sélection asiatique réputée pour son engagement physique. Trois jours plus tard, le 31 mars, Madagascar enchaînera avec une seconde opposition contre la Guinée équatoriale. Ce duel face au Nzalang Nacional offrira aux Barea un adversaire africain expérimenté, habitué aux compétitions continentales. Ce rassemblement en Turquie s’inscrit dans la volonté de la fédération malgache de multiplier les confrontations internationales afin de renforcer la cohésion de l’équipe et de préparer au mieux les prochaines campagnes officielles, notamment les qualifications pour les compétitions africaines. Ces deux matchs amicaux seront donc une occasion précieuse pour le sélectionneur et son staff d’effectuer des réglages, tester de nouvelles options tactiques et donner du temps de jeu à certains joueurs en quête de confirmation sous le maillot des Barea.

L’article Équipe de Madagascar : Deux matchs amicaux au programme des Barea lors de la fenêtre FIFA de mars est apparu en premier sur AfricaFootUnited.