Bucs and Tuks in goalless stalemate

After a very fast match that saw a number of scoring opportunities, Orlando Pirates and University of Pretoria ended up sharing the points as they could not find the back of the net in their Absa Premiership encounter at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Friday night .

The first opportunity for Tuks came in the third minute when Atusaye Nyondo pulled his effort wide.

Orlando Pirates made a strong comeback as Khethokwakhe Masuku took a shot, but he failed to find the net in the 11th minute.

Four minutes later Lennox Bacela also tried to find an opening goal for the Buccaneers, but his shot went astray.

In the last 15 minutes of the first half both teams kept each other’s defence working hard without any success.

Atusaye Nyondo’s shot was well cleared by Phungwayo and on the other end Tshepo Gumede blocked Vuyisile Ntombayithethi’s effort, ensuring that the two teams ended the first half goalless.

In the second half it was Tuks that came back with full force. Denver Mukamba fired a powerful shot but unfortunately it went wide off the target in the 46th minute.

In the 68th minute substitute Geoffrey Massa tried to register his name on the scoresheet, but the ball sailed past the right-hand post.

Two minutes later Kermit Erasmus, who had come in for Lennox Bacela, also tried his luck but Tuks goalkeeper Washington Arubi was alert to the danger.

With just less than 10 minutes before the final whistle Pirates' coach brought in Menzi Masuku in Lehlohonolo Majoro’s place. The youngster’s first touch was a threatening shot that unfortunately ended wide.

This saw the match ending in a goalless draw.

Orlando Pirates : Patrick Phungwayo, Brighton Mhlongo, Tshepo Gumede, Siyabonga Sangweni, Happy Jele, Issa Sarr, Thabo Rakhale, Mpho Makola, Oupa Manyisa, Lehlohonolo Majoro ( Masuku 85’), Lennox Bacela ( Erasmus 53’).

University of Pretoria: Washington Arubi, Vuyisile Ntombayithethi, Siyabonga Shoyisa, Grant Kekana, Partson Juare, Denver Mukamba ( Massa 66’), Mpho Matsi, Ronald Ketjijere, Siyabonga Ngubane, Atusaye Nyondo ( Thambo Masadi 76’) , Thabo Mnyamane ( Zwane 77’).

Regragui expects tough tie with Zamalek

Fath Union Sport de Rabat head coach, Walid Regragui has declared that his team's match against Zamalek in the Caf Confederation Cup will not be easy.

Zamalek and FUS ended their first leg of the round of 16 in the Confederation Cup with a goalless draw in Suez city, Egypt.

"The result of the first leg doesn't mean anything to me. The second leg in Morocco will not be easy. I wish we ended the first match with a 1-1 or a 2-2 draw. A goalless draw is not a good result," Regragui said.

"Zamalek will play the second match by attacking and that will help us as they will open their backlines. We know what we will do there; they have a good team but we are ready for them."

On his target for the Confederation Cup, Regragui said: "I don't think about anything. I just want to win the next clash and take the ticket for the next stage."

The 39-year-old coach started his managerial career with the Morocco national team as an assistant coach with Rachid Taoussi before he took the charge of FUS Rabat in 2014.

BA Utd coach sets six-point target

The coach of bottom-placed BA United is seeking a revival for his team as he targets the remaining six points of the FCPPL first-round fixtures.

Last month, Stephen Kyeremeh replaced ex-international Mohammed Gargo who took charge of just one game as coach of the soccer Apostles.

He recently managed a win over leaders AshantiGold but his struggling side are just on 10 points after 13 games and believes the club’s realistic target is to win as many points from now in order to survive relegation.

“I do not know the vision of the team when the season started, but from the recent developments surviving the premier league remains the only option for now.”

“I believe that the second round will be tougher, so there is the need to for us to keep on fighting by winning our remaining two matches so that we can end the first round with at least six more points,” said coach Kyeremeh.

BA United will host Berekum Chelsea in one of five local derbies of the match day 14 fixtures at the Sunyani Coronation Park on Sunday before completing the first round of the season away to Medeama SC.

Cosafa boss allays Ghana’s security fears

Cosafa competition’s boss, Timothy Shongwe, has played downed security fears at the upcoming tournament due to recent xenophobic attacks in host country South Africa.

The Cosafa Cup is returning after a year’s hiatus with Ghana set to feature as guests but concerns have been raised about possible security threats as parts of South Africa has witnessed some locals attacking foreign nationals in order to get them to leave the country – the widely condemned act has claimed quite a number of lives.

But Shongwe has played down these fears suggesting that the venues – Moruleng and Rustenburg, in the North West province which will host the May 17-30 regional tournament are not troubled areas. He however assures there are security plans being undertaken to ensure a successful competition.

“Some of the plans are being together, mostly driven by the security of our host country [South Africa] – of which some of the details of the plans are not made public. There are security meetings being held.

“As organisers we believe that we should not have [security] problems at the Cosafa Cup tournament,” he told Kessben FM in Kumasi.

“Mind you, the North West [province] is not in Durban or Johannesburg. Having said that, we will make sure that you guys [Ghana] and every African that comes to participate in the Cosafa Cup is safe and sound and will return home safely.”

Ghana will enter the competition from the quarterfinal stage and will face the winner of Group B at the 20 000-seat Moruleng Stadium on May 24.

Mainz dent Schalke's European hopes

             Schalke 04's Europa League qualifying hopes were hit when they slumped to a 2-0 Bundesliga defeat at Mainz 04 with central defender Stefan Bell scoring twice in three minutes on Friday.

The 23-year-old former German youth international first tapped in after Schalke, without a win in their last six games, failed to clear a corner in the 28th minute.

He then drilled in a header from yet another corner kick three minutes later.

Schalke, who have already written off making the Champions League, are stuck in fifth place on 42 points with four matches left, level with sixth-placed Augsburg, who play on Saturday.

Having scored once in their last four games, Schalke again struggled up front despite fielding two strikers in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, without a league goal since scoring against Mainz in late November, and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting.

They did hit the woodwork twice late in the game through Leon Goretzka and Julian Draxler after the hosts had earlier done the same.

The teams finishing fifth and sixth qualify for the Europa League but Werder Bremen, on 38 points, and Hoffenheim, with 37, can gain ground on the Royal Blues, who have won once in their last 10 league games, with their game in hand.

The win also kept alive Mainz's slim hopes of a top-six finish with the club on 37 points in eighth.

Leaders Bayern Munich, 12 points clear with five matches left, can secure the title if they beat visitors Hertha Berlin on Saturday and VfL Wolfsburg fail to win at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday.

Marseille powerless to stop Lorient express

Lorient caused a mighty upset on Friday, winning 5-3 in a thriller at Marcelo Bielsa's Olympique Marseille to all but end the home team's Ligue 1 title chances and ease their own relegation worries.

It was fourth-placed Marseille's fourth league defeat in a row and, with only four matches left, qualification for next season's Champions League as a top-three finisher is also now in danger.

"We were absent in the first half and disorganised in the second," said Argentine coach Bielsa.

First-half goals from Jordan Ayew and Francois Bellugou set the tone although the hosts dragged themselves back to 2-2 with strikes by Andre Ayew and Jeremy Morel.

Within a minute of Morel's equaliser, Romain Philippoteaux put the visitors in front again.

Michy Batshuayi made it 3-3 in the 76th minute but Jordan Ayew bagged his second goal with six minutes to go and Mathias Autret delivered the coup de grace that lifted Lorient out of the relegation zone.

Marseille were top of the table until Christmas and since then their form has dipped alarmingly, leaving them eight points behind leaders Olympique Lyonnais having played one game more.

Bielsa's men lost to mid-table Nantes last week and were without suspended playmaker Dimitri Payet.

Payet was back on Friday but could not help stop his team's run of defeats.

"Things haven't been easy recently," said coach Sylvain Ripoll after Lorient climbed one point clear of the drop zone.

"It's not done yet and we need to build on what we've done on a night like tonight."

On Sunday, Lyon (65 points) travel to Stade Reims and third-placed Monaco (59) visit bottom of the table Racing Lens.

Second-placed Paris St Germain (65 points), who have a game in hand on Lyon, host Lille on Saturday.

Henderson don plant yam for Liverpool

Liverpool vice skippo, Jordan Henderson don plant plenty yam for de club as de guy don sign anoda contract wey go make am tay for de club wey no dey waka alone.

Liverpool Oga dem no gree yarn de years wey Henderson sign for paper, but some aproko talk say na 5years contract na hin de bobo sign, and na £100,000 hin go dey collect every week.

“My belle dey sweet me as I don sign anoda contract for Liverpool, becos dis club na beta club wey dey make me jolly yafun yafun.

“I know say e no go tay again wey Liverpool go start to dey carry trophies becos we get playas we fit do am,” naso Henderson talk

As Steven Gerrard go pack hin bag kommot for Liverpool wen dis season kpai, na Jordan Henderson go replace am as de ness Liverpool skippo.

De plane wey go carry Gerrard enta America don dey wait for am for Airport as de guy don sign contract for Los Angeles Galaxy.

The Blues manager has yet to taste defeat in his 12 games against the Frenchman thus far, but he insists he sees no need to compete with the Gunners manager ahead of their clash

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has insisted he does not see Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger as a rival.

The two managers have a history of sharing jibes, but the Portuguese insists that he sees no need to compete with the Gunners boss as he prepares his side to face their London rivals this weekend. 

"For me, he's not my rival," he told reporters. "I don't feel that. He's a manager of a big club in a city where I work and live with the same objectives.

"Because of that, there is always a bit of rivalry, but I don't see Wenger as any different to the Atletico manager when I was with Real [Madrid]."

Mourinho has gone 12 games unbeaten against Wenger, but he insists that he is "not proud" of his record against the Frenchman. 
 
"For me an achievement is to win tomorrow," he added. 

"It's not the other 12 matches that we played before against Arsenal. I don't look to this. I don't look to numbers. I don't look to what I did against this manager or that club."

Chelsea can take a massive step towards the Premier League title with a win this weekend, and can move 13 points clear of the Gunners with a victory.

The Spain midfielder will return to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday for the first time since his departure in 2011 but the Blues boss expects him to handle the occasion well

Cesc Fabregas decided to sign for Chelsea because "good projects end with titles", Jose Mourinho has claimed.

The Spain midfielder will return to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday for the first time since he left Arsenal for Barcelona in 2011.

The Gunners had the option to re-sign Fabregas last summer but a deal never materialised and he joined their Premier League rivals instead.

"I know why he chose Chelsea," Mourinho told reporters. "I don't know why he didn't choose Arsenal. I can only speak about what we promised him.

"I can't talk about the decision for him leaving Arsenal or what stopped him going back.

"I don't know if it was the manager's or his decision. I just promised him we'd build a team very adapted to his style of play, that he was going to be an important player in our project ... and that, normally, good projects end with titles. He was looking for that. That's all I can say."

Mourinho insists that he is not concerned that Fabregas's performance might be affected if he receives a negative reception from the home crowd when the top two face off.

"I don't know [what reception he will get]," the Portuguese added. "To be fair, I don't know - and, to be fair, I'm not worried with that.

"Frank Lampard played at Stamford Bridge [for Manchester City] without any kind of problem and with a good reception. I don't see a reason for Fabregas not to have the same at the Emirates but, if he has some bad reactions, I think he's one of the players who is more than ready.

"He played in Barcelona with an Arsenal shirt. Why can't he play at the Emirates with a Chelsea shirt? No problem."

16 Reasons Men Freak Out About Dating

1. Statistically, what's the best way to avoid crushing loneliness? Nothing gives you more anxiety than seeing data about how you're going to spend the rest of your life alone. Should you meet someone at a bar? What is the probability of finding the love of your life online? What if the love of your life lives in Japan? What if there's a language barrier between you and your soul mate, and you'll never be happy because you'll never find The One? These are all relevant, rational questions everyone thinks about.

2. How do I ask someone out without coming off like a creepy stalker or like I don't care at all? How do we even toe that line?Even after we find someone we're into, asking her out is a whole other question. Do we try to play it smooth and bold, and potentially scare her off too soon? Do we avoid saying anything for three years? Do we get her number and text her a bunch until she finally asks to hang out? The options are numerous and stress-inducing.

3. Does this look like I dressed up or like my mom dressed me up? "What does this shirt say about me as a person?" we ask ourselves longingly as we stare into the mirror. We have to have a rugged but boyish charm. We need to look good without looking like we tried to look good. Ultimately, we need to wear a dress shirt and jeans.

4. Is a condom in the wallet a good idea? We don't want to look cocky or presumptuous if she happens to see a condom sticking out of our wallet, but we also don't want to be without one, just in case.

5. How drunk is just drunk enough? Should we order a few beers? Can we get so drunk that this date is no longer awkward? Will she judge us if we pass out in the bathroom for half an hour?

6. Will we be able to talk about anything beyond our favorite colors and our jobs? It's not like we need to have a passionate and undying love for the same hockey team, but if we can't both sit at our table and make fun of what the other patrons are wearing, we're going to run out of "what do you do for a living" small talk rather quickly.

7. What if the restaurant is too expensive, like five-dollar-signs-on-Yelp expensive? Yeah, we made the recommendation and intend to pick up the check, but what if the restaurant is even more than we thought? What if she picks the most expensive thing on the menu? What if our card gets declined? If we sprint out of the restaurant, will she follow? If we can psychically orchestrate a dine-and-dash on the first date, we're probably soul mates.

8. How do I establish that I'm a badass with a heart of gold? In a perfect date situation, we get the opportunity to pull off some awesome date move that makes her fall in love instantly. Maybe we'll have the opportunity to clothesline a purse-snatcher as they run by or reenact that whole "Twist and Shout" scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

9. What if you talk about your ex? What if I talk about my ex? What if an ex shows up to the date?The only thing worse than having nothing to talk about is hearing about an ex she's clearly not over, or we go on and on about our exes. What was supposed to be a date turns into a therapy session.

10. What if I spend the night alone at the restaurant petrified of making eye contact with anyone else because I get stood up? "Oh, me? No, I'm not waiting for anyone! I just got all dressed up and came to this place to play Flappy Bird on my phone while I sit at a table by myself."

11. Is there such a thing as too many bathroom breaks? What if we have to pee in the middle of dinner and leave you alone? What if we have to do that more than once? What's worse: leaving the table multiple times or peeing our pants?

12. What if my favorite joke doesn't get any laughs?There are few things as quiet as the silence that falls over two people after one of them tells a joke the other person doesn't find funny. It's the sound of a kitten gently walking on freshly fallen snow, crying silent tears.

13. Is she different than my first impression? What if that great first impression was a complete fluke? Maybe we were both really drunk, and bonding over the game of Survivor Flip Cup we won together isn't a solid foundation for a relationship.

14. What if she's not impressed with us? What have I even accomplished? Should I bring my old soccer trophies to show off casually? We don't want to disappoint. What is it you even like about us, and how do we play that up as much as possible and downplay literally everything else?

15. What if I completely forget how to kiss? I'm pretty sure most people just black out when going in for a kiss and go straight from leaning in to kissing because the whole idea of a first kiss is so awkward your brain shuts down as a defense mechanism.

16. What if there's a second date? There's a sense of relief when we have that moment where we get to leave an awkward date and walk out into the night. We know we'll never see each other again, and it feels kind of like getting off a roller coaster: It might have been touch and go there for a while, but we survived. Way scarier is the prospect that the date went well, which means a second date, which means we have to start this process all over again…

Bradley Cooper and Christiano Ronaldo's ex Irina Shayk seen on a date

Actor Bradley Cooper, 40, and top model Irina Shayk, 29, who ended her five year relationship with footballer Cristiano Ronaldo in Dec. 2014, were spotted on a Broadway date on Wednesday night.

The two, who were introduced by mutual friends, were seen together in the audience at 'Finding Neverland' Broadway show, according to a report by NYT's Page Six

Bradley ended a two-year relationship with UK model Suki Waterhouse just last month and the two were seen at Coachella last week sparking rumours of a reconciliation but it looks like he may have moved on to Irina though sources told Page Six it's just a 'friendly relationship' for now.

Photos: Buhari meets man who trekked from Lagos to Abuja

Suleiman Hashimu, the man who trekked from Lagos to Abuja in honor of Buhari's victory at the presidential election met with Gen Buhari in Abuja today April 24th. Narrating his experience to General Buhari, Suleiman said;

"I made a promise because of the love I have for Mr. President that if Buhari should win the 2015 elections, I will trek from Lagos to Abuja which I have done. I thank God that I made a promise and I fulfilled the promise. I passed through Kwara and Niger states to Abuja. I was trekking from 6.00am to 6.00pm and anywhere I find myself when it is 6.00pm, I pass the night there.I spent 18 days from Lagos to Abuja." Continue...
Once I found myself inside the bush by 6.00pm and I managed to continue the trek till 9.00pm to a nearby village. I made this promise two years ago. I am based in Ibadan and I started my journey from Lagos because Lagos is the most popular city in Nigeria and I started from Berger junction in Lagos. I am not bothered about what people think. It is a promise between me and my God. I don’t want anybody to believe me. I left Lagos because I made a promise. Right from Kwara state, I never walked alone for five kilometres. People always walk with me to the next village. I work with a construction company based in Ibadan.”he said

Barca to face Bayern, Juve to face Madrid

Barcelona go ge

t de chance to avenge de bad thing wey Bayern Munich do dem lass 2 years for de Uefa Champions League as de two of dem go jam diasef again for dis year semifinal.

Na on Friday na hin de Oga dem for Uefa sit down do de draws for dia office, and Real Madrid wey na for dia hand na hin de trophy dey go jam Juventus wey be Baba for Italy.

Unna go rememba how Bayern Munich take waya Barcelona 7-0 lass 2 years bifor Bayern kon bilala Borussia Dortmund for de final wey helep Bayern carry dia 5th trophy for Europe.

One time coachi for Barcelona, Pep Gurdiola na hin dey run things now for Bayern Munich, and de padi go wan take swagga enta Nou Camp for de fess time since hin don kommot.

Na Barcelona go dey dia house for de fess leg match, and Barca muss rememba wetin Bayern do Porto for Munich bifor dem go play dia fess match.

Real Madrid for dia own side go enta Italy for dia fess match, bifor Juventus go kon meet dem for Spain for de second leg match.

Dis na de second time since de year 2003 wey Juventus go enta semifinal, as unna go rememba say na AC Milan hama dem for de final dat time.

Juventus juss dey fly like arik airline for Italy as na dem get mouth to carry de Serie A torphy and dem don reach de final for de Italo cup sef.

Meanwilly, na May 5/6 and 12/13 na hin de semifinal match go shelle, and na for Berlin na hin dem go play de final on June 6.

Barcelona v Bayern Munich

Juventus v Real Madrid

Juve on verge of 31st Scudetto

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Unstoppable Juventus will hope to follow up qualifying for the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in over a decade by clinching a 31st Serie A title on Sunday.

With a 15-point lead on Lazio and Roma and seven games remaining, Juventus already have one hand on what will be their fourth consecutive Scudetto.

But they can make the Italian league title mathematically safe if they beat Torino away in the city derby and both Lazio and Roma lose their games, at home to Chievo and away to Inter Milan respectively.

That would leave Juventus 18 points clear of the pack with six games remaining but the Turin giants could not be caught by Lazio and Roma because they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker on both capital sides.

Juventus on Thursday were still coming down from the high of reaching the last four of the Champions League for the first time since they went all the way to the 2003 final before losing to AC Milan in a penalty shoot-out.

But Chilean attacking midfielder Arturo Vidal was quick to remind his fellow teammates there is a title to be won, too.

"We'll start thinking about the derby tonight. We have a Scudetto to win," Vidal said after Juventus held Monaco to a scoreless draw in their quarter-final second leg to advance 1-0 on aggregate.

Juventus make the short trip to Torino's Stadio Olimpico for the 'Derby della Mole' -- named after one of Turin's major landmarks -- as firm favourites having not lost to their city rivals since 1995.

But that hasn't stopped former Bianconeri striker Fabio Quagliarellia, who joined Torino last season after failing to nail down a regular starting place under former Juve coach Antonio Conte, from dreaming of causing an upset.

"I hope it's me who scores the winning goal on Sunday," said Quagliarella, who has scored an impressive 12 goals this season for the Granata.

- Neck and neck -

Securing the title is only a matter of time for Juventus, but the fight for European places continues in earnest.

Lazio and Roma are neck and neck for the league's second automatic Champions League qualifying spot and the pressure this weekend is on the latter.

Inter host Roma for the 100th time in all competitions and, although Roma have won the past three fixtures in Milan, Rudi Garcia's men may not be quite so confident this time.

Roma are struggling to emerge from a recent slump and Inter, who dominated city rivals AC Milan in a scoreless draw last week, are battling to stay in contention for next season's Europa League.

Garcia welcomes Gervinho back to the squad after a three-game absence although expecting goals from the Ivorian striker, who has not scored in the league since November, could be a long shot.

Either way, Garcia expects a much-improved performance from his side following their second consecutive draw, against Atalanta, last week which left him fuming.

"Sometimes you suffer defeats that leave you disappointed, but this draw was worrying. The extent to which we were negative stunned me," said Garcia.

Things are looking far brighter in the light blue half of Rome, with Lazio -- who saw an impressive streak of wins stopped at eight in a 2-0 defeat to Juventus last time out -- hosting struggling Chievo.

Lazio are still without Dutch defender Stefan De Vrij, one of their pillars of this season, and lost Argentina international Lucas Biglia to an ankle sprain that will keep him out for several weeks.

But before their reverse at Juventus, Lazio hit nine goals in three games. In that time, Chievo scored just twice on their way to a win, a draw and a defeat.

Napoli, in fourth, host Sampdoria in Sunday's late game looking for a win that would keep their Champions League hopes alive.

However that fixture will have a particular flavour, with Sampdoria coach Sinisa Mihajlovic reported to have met Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis to discuss replacing Rafael Benitez next season.

Fixtures (kick-offs GMT)

Saturday: Udinese v AC Milan (1600), Inter v Roma (6.45pm)

Sunday: Atalanta v Empoli (1030), Genoa v Cesena, Verona v Sassuolo, Lazio v Chievo, Parma v Palermo, Torino v Juventus (all 1pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (4pm), Napoli v Sampdoria (6.45pm)

Bayern poised for 25th German title

Treble-chasing Bayern Munich could claim their first silverware of the season this weekend with the Bavarian giants poised to become German champions for the 25th time.

With five games left, Bayern are 12 points clear before they entertain Hertha Berlin at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, with nearest rivals Wolfsburg not playing until Sunday, when they face a stiff test at Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Pep Guardiola's side therefore need only better Wolfsburg's result to officially wrap up yet another title.

However, even if Wolfsburg win, their hugely inferior goal difference would mean the title race is effectively over anyway.

Bayern are buzzing from their stunning 6-1 drubbing of Porto in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final, second leg which took them through to the last four and kept alive their hopes of repeating their 2013 treble, when they won the domestic double and lifted the European Cup.

However, their current punishing schedule of a game every three or four days shows no sign of relenting as they host Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup semi-final next Tuesday in a repeat of the 2014 final, which Bayern won 2-0 after extra-time.

Injuries continue to leave Guardiola with a thin squad at his disposal, with Franck Ribery, Mehdi Benatia and David Alaba still on the sidelines and Holger Badstuber having been ruled out for the rest of the season with a thigh tear.

However, Spain midfielder Javi Martinez this week returned to training for the first time since tearing the cruciate ligament in his left knee last August, although it is doubtful he will play again this season.

And there is hope that leading scorer Arjen Robben will return either this weekend or against Dortmund next Tuesday after six weeks out with an abdominal injury.

"Arjen is well on his way. We can hope he'll return soon," said chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who admitted that he would rather not wrap up the league title because of a slip-up from one of Bayern's rivals.

"It's more satisfying to leave the pitch as confirmed champions," he said before speaking with confidence about Bayern's prospects on all fronts in the run-in.

"We have difficult matches coming up. We're in good shape right now. We want to take everything that's possible."

With fourth-placed Gladbach battling Bayer Leverkusen for Germany's third automatic Champions League berth, Wolfsburg are set to name a full-strength side for Sunday's showdown at Borussia Park.

Indeed, both Germany winger Andre Schuerrle and their star Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne were left out of the squad for Thursday's Europa League quarter-final second leg at Napoli to keep them fresh for the Bundesliga.

Meanwhile, Leverkusen go to near neighbours Cologne chasing an eighth successive win but without Gonzalo Castro, who is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

- Tense at the bottom -

Elsewhere, with only four points separating the league's bottom five teams of Hamburg, Stuttgart, Paderborn, Hanover and Freiburg, the battle to stay up is set to go to the wire.

Stuttgart host Freiburg, while Paderborn, who have won just once in eight, entertain Werder Bremen.

After sacking Tayfun Korkut on Monday, Hanover play their first game under new coach Michael Frontzeck at home to mid-table Hoffenheim, who are chasing a Europa League berth.

"The essential thing is to stay calm in this situation," said Frontzeck, whose new charges are two points above the bottom three.

"I saw some fantastic games from this team in the first half of the season. I don't know what happened over the winter and it does not interest me."

Bottom side Hamburg, the only side in the Bundesliga never to have been relegated, are looking to prevent going 10 matches without a win when they host sixth-placed Augsburg on Saturday with Bruno Labbadia set for his second game in charge after last week becoming Hamburg's fourth coach this season.

Fixtures (all times 1.30pm GMT unless stated)

Friday: Mainz 05 v Schalke 04 (6.30pm)

Saturday: Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt, Hanover 96 v Hoffenheim, VfB Stuttgart v Freiburg, Hamburg v Augsburg, Cologne v Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)

Jonathan's defeat! African churches are joyous-OBJ

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has yesterday, said that a lot of African countries are joyous that President Jonathan was defeated in the just concluded presidential election in Nigeria.

President Jonathan and Obasanjo.

Premium Times reports that Obasanjo said his checks in a number of African countries suggested they were as happy over the result of the election as majority of Nigerians are. He referred to President Goodluck Jonathan as a moving train who was providentially stopped from collapsing Nigeria.

“I have visited six countries since the election, they are as happy about the results as we are in Nigeria. It is good not only for Nigeria, it is good for Africa and I believe it is good for the world.”

Obasanjo, who led the African Union Observation Mission to the April 2015 General Election in Sudan, spoke on Thursday at a Washington DC event. He described Nigeria as a country that obsessively plays “a dangerous game of moving close to the precipice”. He further said that the country came close to disintegration in the run-up to the 2015 elections but switched swiftly to the path of redemption after the polls.

“I hope we will not fall over one of these days,” he said. He expressed the fact that one month to the election, no one ever believed “we will have a peaceful election that is reasonably free and fair.”

Obasanjo however described his role in the election as that of a person standing on the track of a moving train, the former president said during the countdown to the elections, he faced the option of “jumping off” the tracks or “be crushed” if the train did not providentially get “derailed and stop.” He however said he did not jump and was not crushed adding that “at every stage, there must be leaders imbued with sufficient courage and will to stand firm when you have to stand firm.”

Describing the results of the elections, Obasanjo said it is what Nigerians“deserve” although some Nigerians “did not want it”. Obasanjo was the featured speaker at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) event titled What is Right with Africa: Reframing Africa’s Leadership Challenges. He made these remarks in response to a question by Princeton Lyman, a former ambassador to Nigeria.

Mr. Obasanjo observed that Nigeria’s tendency to flirt with near-death experiences stretches back to colonial times when it almost cost the country the chance of gaining political independence from Britain. Recalling colonial-era disagreements over self-rule, the former President said at a stage, advocates of self-rule from the Eastern and Western Regions decided to “let the North go” since their leaders were reluctant to accept regional autonomy back then.

“But reason prevailed,” he said, “East and West got internal autonomy in 1957, North got same in 1959 and the whole country got independence in 1960.”

Listing the 1964 post-election violence in the south west and the 1966 coup d’etats which led to “pogrom and civil war” as other self-destructive phases in the country’s history, the former president remarked that Nigeria emerged from all of these as “one entity” in spite of contrarian speculations.

“Not only did we survive the civil war but, within nine years, somebody from the rebel side, as we called them, and somebody from the vandal side, as they called us, became president and vice-president of Nigeria. Not many countries achieve that,” he said.

President Obasanjo described the 2015 election as “almost in the same category” as other near-death experiences in Nigeria’s history. He said one month to the election, no one believed “we will have a peaceful election that is reasonably free and fair.”

“I think we are now building institutions that can withstand what we may see as danger to good governance in Africa. The election has moved Nigeria one very important step up in our democratic dispensation, process and practice.”