News
Wenger opens up on resignation as Arsenal manager


Arsene Wenger has hinted that growing supporter unrest influenced his decision to quit Arsenal at the end of the season.
The 68-year-old saw his side beat West Ham 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the first Arsenal game since he announced on Friday he would step down in the summer.
Wenger has been in charge at Arsenal for over 21 years but his role has come under increased scrutiny in recent times following annual failings in the Premier League and Champions League.
A late flurry of three goals in seven minutes wrapped up a win for Wenger as his long farewell began, Aaron Ramsey putting the Gunners back in front before Alexandre Lacazette hit a late double to add gloss to the result.
A point for the Hammers, for whom Marko Arnautovic scored to cancel out Nacho Monreal’s opener, means they are still in danger of relegation.
The bigger picture here was the start of Wenger’s goodbye and it was after the game when he revealed he felt the club’s global reputation was being damaged by those dissenting fans calling for him to leave.
“Personally I believe this club is respected all over the world, much more than in England, and that our fans did not give the image of unity I want at the club all over the world and that was hurtful,” he said.
“I feel the club is respected and overall the image we gave from our club is not what it is and not what I like.
“I’m not resentful and I do not want to make stupid headlines.
“I’m not resentful with the fans, I just feel if my personality is in the way of what I think our club is, for me that is more important than me.
“That is what I want to say, it is nothing to do with the fans, the fans were not happy I can understand that, that is my job and I have to live with that, I can accept that.” (RTE)
Source: Daily Sports
[7:46 AM, 4/23/2018] Media at Award: Chelsea Zoom to Battle Man United in FA Cup Final
Olivier Giroud’s brilliant semi-final goal helped Chelsea beat Southampton to reach the FA Cup final and set up a meeting with Manchester United.
Chelsea striker Giroud received the ball from Eden Hazard and jinked his way past two Southampton players in a crowded area before he stabbed the ball home.
Giroud was replaced by Alvaro Morata with 10 minutes to go and the substitute sealed safe passage with Chelsea’s second when he headed in at the back post from Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross.
Southampton went close with Nathan Redmond’s low drive from distance while Charlie Austin hit the post.
It means Chelsea manager Antonio Conte will come up against managerial adversary Jose Mourinho at Wembley on 19 May.
There is no love lost between Conte and former Chelsea manager Mourinho, who have traded insults throughout the season.
The final is also repeat of 2007 when Mourinho guided Chelsea to a 1-0 victory over United in the first to be played at the rebuilt Wembley.
Conte’s Chelsea were beaten in last season’s FA Cup final by Arsenal, albeit as a club which appeared much more harmonious.
They went into that final as Premier League champions and a domestic double would have put the gloss on a fine campaign.
This season has been a stark contrast with the London club struggling to finish in the top four to secure a Champions League place.
Rumours have also swirled over Conte’s future at Stamford Bridge.
Victory in the FA Cup final will allow Conte to potentially provide a silver lining to what has been a difficult season.
To do so against Mourinho would also be particularly sweet for both Conte and Chelsea’s fans, with the Portuguese’s relationship with his former club having become strained since he took over at Old Trafford.
Encouragingly for Conte, there were flickers of the kind of form Chelsea showed at their best in that title-winning season in this game as they deservedly progressed.
Willian struck the crossbar after a rapid counter-attack, the impressive Hazard forced Alex McCarthy to tip the ball over the crossbar, while Morata twice went close at the end.
They will face much sterner opposition in United and Mourinho, though. (BBC)
News
France Urged to Address Colonial Legacy as Senegalese Activists Call for Reparations in Dakar Roundtable
Reporter: Sandra Ani


France’s colonial legacy came under renewed scrutiny as journalists, historians, and pan-African activists gathered at African Memorial Square in Dakar for a powerful roundtable advocating reparations and economic justice.
The event highlighted growing demands for France to take full responsibility for its historical role in Senegal and across West Africa.


Organized by advocacy groups including the Association of Descendants of Senegalese Soldiers, the Front for the Withdrawal of French Military Bases (GASSI), and JIF’AFRIK, the roundtable brought together influential voices pushing for reparatory justice and structural transformation.
Among the key speakers were Babacar Dioh of the Thiaroye 44 Movement—a coalition of descendants of Senegalese tirailleurs—and Souleymane Jules Diallo, leader of JIF’AFRIK. Discussions centered on two central demands: official reparations for colonial-era injustices and the urgent renegotiation of trade and military agreements that activists say perpetuate economic dependence.
“The time for symbolic gestures is over,” said Dioh. “We are now filing an official reparations claim and taking concrete steps to hold France accountable.”
Speakers called for the dismantling of existing neocolonial frameworks, stressing the ecological, financial, and social harm that has endured beyond the colonial period. The roundtable marks a turning point in Dakar’s positioning as a hub for coordinated African-led advocacy aimed at restoring historical justice.
This event adds momentum to a growing continental movement seeking tangible reparative action from former colonial powers and reinforces the call for equity, autonomy, and acknowledgment of historical truths.
News
Gov Mbah Inaugurates Committee to End Gender-Based Violence in Enugu


The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.


Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
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