In Tunisia, Ligue One serial league winners Esperance du Tunis (ES Tunis), is on the verge of clinching the title for the twenty-seventh time.
The capital-based club, who is also a winner of its group, leads with nine points in three games played in title play-offs.
Etoile Du Sahel sits second while Metlaoui is third.
It’s a heated affair in the relegation play-offs. In yesterday’s game on March 15, Avenir De La Marsa drew 10-man AS Gabes goalless, as Stade Gabesien beat 10-man CA Bizertin 1-0, while CS Hammam-Lif strolled past JS Kairounanaise in a 2-1 win.
Morocco
Champions FUS Rabat is miles away from catching up with current leaders Wydad Casablanca in the Botola Telecom-sponsored Moroccan Premier League.
Rabat –who won its maiden league gong last season – is shockingly nineteen points adrift of Wydad in the title race.
Participation in the CAF Champions League and other Arabian Cup competition commitments is strongly linked to Rabat’s woes this season.
Eight losses, six wins, and conceding twenty-one goals –the same about of goals they’ve managed to score –sums up a season in shambles for the capital club.
Second-placed Raja is fast applying pressure on neighbors and table-toppers, Wydad with just one point between them.
Egypt
Al Ahly fronts the league on fifty-two points in twenty games. The championship most decorated club is being given bits of a hot chase by surprise league performers, Misr Lel Makasa with seven points between them.
Five-time CAF Champions League winners, Zamalek finds itself rooted in third place.
It has been a tough season for The Knights and Chairman Mortada Mansour who is understandably disgruntled. The controversial lawyer recently said he had contacted FIFA urging it to cancel the league.
The 64-year-old accused referees of causing his side to lose matches and claims to have evidence supporting his accusations.
What should be FIFA’s reaction and whether the league will be dissolved will make for interesting reading in the coming weeks.
Already, there’s been strong calls for the Egyptian Football Association to be disbanded.
In Algeria, Entente de Sportif Setif is eight games away from clinching the domestic league title for the eighth time.
Setif tops the table in the Ligue Professionnelle Une, ahead of second-placed Bel Abbes on seven points difference while holders USM Alger, settles for third place.
Games were put off last Friday.
In Nigeria, El Kanemi Warriors is ensuring that leaders Plateau United don’t have it any easy with one point separating the two.
Kanemi thumped Niger Tornadoes 2-0 on Sunday to close in on United who scrapped over Kano Pillars with a similar scoreline.
There were only two games featured yesterday, March 15, in the Nigeria PFL as Enyimba sent Ifeanyi Ubah packing with Osadiaye and Undo raking up the spoils.
Wikki drew Mountain of Fire and Miracles FC 1-1 in the other fixture.
Stephen Odey is the league’s top goal-scorer with eight goals in six appearances – one short of equaling his previous season tally.
He is trailed by Kanemi’s go-to goal scorer, Niger-born Mathias Samuel who has notched in seven, a sharp contrast from the two he managed the last term.
Title holders Enugu Rangers is on an abysmal run sitting in the relegation zone after 10 games with a low return of three wins.
In Ghana, Inter Allies, Bologa All Stars –set to be renamed to Techiman soon– and Great Olympics are the outfits in the red zone while Aduana Stars climbed to the first position in week seven.
Ashanti Kotoko is now equal on points with Aduana on seventeen after beating WAFA a goal to nothing in the First Capital Plus-sponsored Premier League.
The champions, Wa All Stars – coached by Emmanuel Quarshie – is fourth on eleven points.
Wa All Stars yesterday drew Ebusua one-all while leaders Aduana got held by Madeama with Ashanti moving little away from the red zone after its victory over Liberty.
Berekum Chelsea swaggered over Bolga Stars with a lone goal to seal the points as Great Olympics grinds out a one-all stalemate with Inter Allies, in a battle of underperforming clubs.
Trema Youth breezed past Hearts of Oak 2-1 in another tie yesterday.
Elsewhere in Kenya, the league is just a game old. Champions Tusker got shipped five goals by Nzoia United in their opening match although, there was a firing response with two goals which unfortunately were wholly insufficient.
It was a brilliant debut for last season Player of the Year Kenneth Muguna as he helped Gor Mahia down Kariobangi Sharks 3-1 at the Thika Municipal.
In Ethiopia, Kedus Giorgis is nine matches away from making a back-to-back title win, while Township Rollers is also bossing Botswana’s top flight.
They were held over the weekend by Orapa United one-all but continue to be on top on forty-four points in twenty games.
Galaxy is second after strolling past Miscellaneous 2-0 at the Serowe Stadium.
In Swaziland, the league is six games away from closing for the season with Mbabane Swallows hopeful of making this season’s campaign a memorable one, sitting on eighteen points ahead of second-placed Young Buffaloes.
Previous winners Royal Leopards will have to try again next season and this latest blow comes weeks after the team was booted out of the CAF Champions League, by AS Vita of DR Congo in the preliminary round.
Switching to South Africa’s Premier Soccer League, Bitvest Wits Football club is on track to winning its first ever league silverware but have Cape Town City to fend off, as the pair are equal on points but Wits leads on goal difference.
Africa and league champions, Mamelodi Sundowns is fifth with eleven matches to end of the ongoing championship.
Zimbabwe’s Tenda Ndoro of Orlando Pirates now has Lebogang Manyama of Cape Town City as his stiff challenge for the league golden boot. The duo is on eleven goals each.
Featured image: Getty Images
