Mourinho reveals the only time he's cried after a defeat

The Tottenham head coach has explained how he was left devastated after a Champions League semi-final loss to Bayern Munich back in 2012

Jose Mourinho has revealed the only time that he has cried after losing a match during his coaching career - the Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich back in 2012 while he was Real Madrid head coach.

The German giants advanced to the final of the competition that year after beating Madrid on penalties, with the semi-final tie having gone to extra-time and spot-kicks following a 2-1 win for Mourinho's men over the 90 minutes.

With the first leg having finished 2-1 to the Bundesliga side, Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice inside 14 minutes at the Bernabeu to put the hosts ahead in the tie.

Arjen Robben struck from the penalty spot after 27 minutes to level things up at 3-3 on aggregate, with Ronaldo, Kaka and Sergio Ramos all missing from 12 yards as the match went to penalties.

Bastian Schweinsteiger was on hand to net the winning spot-kick and set up a meeting with Chelsea in the final, a game that the Blues would win at the Allianz Arena in a match that was again decided by spot-kicks.

Looking back at the defeat, the Tottenham head coach told Marca: "Unfortunately, that's football. Cristiano, Kaka, Sergio Ramos... three complete monsters of football, there's no doubt about that, but they're also human.

"That night is the only time in my career as a coach that I've cried after a defeat. I remember it well... Aitor [Karanka, Madrid assistant at the time] and I pulled up in front of my house, in the car, crying.

"It was very hard because we were the best that season."

It proved to be one of few blips in an outstanding season for Madrid, who won the Liga title and earned 100 points, nine more than Barcelona, setting the record for a single top-flight season in Spain.

Los Blancos also scored 121 goals in the competition in that famous 2011-12 campaign, another La Liga record, while they would end up losing just twice in the league - to Levante and Barca respectively.

Mourinho managed Madrid between 2010 and 2013 and won 128 of his 178 matches in charge of the Spanish club.

He would then go on to coach Chelsea for the second time in his career, winning a third Premier League title for the Blues, before joining Manchester United in 2016 - a spell that would last just over two seasons prior to his sacking in December 2018.

The 57-year-old replaced Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham in November 2019, guiding the club to eighth in the Premier League table prior to the coronavirus pandemic bringing a halt to football across the globe.

Source: Goal

COVID-19: Zamfara will not cut salaries, says Matawalle

Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle

Maiharaji Altine, Gusau

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has assured civil servants in the state that there would be no cut in their salaries as proposed by other governors.

The governor, who spoke through his Director-General on Media and Publicity, Yusuf Idris, promised the continued payment of full salaries and wages as and when due, despite the stay-at-home order occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic.

Matawalle also approved a N470m loan subsidy on food with the aim of cushioning the effect of COVID-19 on civil servants and residents in the state.

He called on the workers to appreciate the government’s efforts in improving their welfare by rededicating themselves to duty when the pandemic was over.

Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress in the state, Bashir Mafara, who spoke on behalf of the civil servants, thanked the governor for not cutting their salaries as done by his counterparts in other states.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control as of Friday night, the state has reported nine coronavirus infections and one attendant death.
Source: punchng

Test of the Believers

At the end of the Day of Gathering the disbelievers will follow behind the gods and idols which they used to worship. They will take their followers to the Hellfire in groups like flocks of sheep, either on their feet or being dragged on their faces. Then only the believers and their hypocrites (pretending to be of them) will be left waiting, and Allah will come to them and ask: "what are you waiting for?" They will reply: "We are waiting for our Lord." He will reveal Himself to them by exposing them to His Shin (Al-Saaq -the promised sign) whereupon they will all fall down in prostration except for the hypocrites, as Allah said of them: "The day that he reveals the Shin, and they are called to prostrate but they will not be able to...." 

Then they will follow Him, and the Bridge (Siraat) will be established (over the Hellfire), and Allah will give the believers their lights and darken the lights of the hypocrites.