The latest controversy surrounding Germany's charismatic defence minister emerged when a Bremen University law professor began writing a review of the dissertation which was published two years ago, with the aid of internet search engines.
In other European football action Friday, Roma saw their hopes of European qualification dented with a 4-2 home loss to Cagliari, while Werder Bremen beat Hannover 2-0 in a mid-table clash in Germany.
Schalke are third after they sealed a 2-1 win over Stuttgart as ex-Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi hit the second-half winner and Werder Bremen are fourth after a 2-0 win over Hoffenheim -- with goalkeeper Tim Wiese saving a first-half penalty from Carlos Eduardo after only 14 minutes.