Warriors slide further back in world rankings

Warriors slide further back in world rankings

• Mubaiwa rescues Young Warriors

• Zifa has no money for friendlies

• Makonese set for move to French club

• Mpofu joins Cape club

• Chidzambwa told Mhlauri to quit

• Mhlauri cool on improved Warriors Fifa ranking

By Nkanyiso Moyo

ZIMBABWE has plunged to its worst ever rankings in both Africa and the world a week after the Warriors failed to play Lesotho in an international friendly match.

The cancelled match cost them 22 points as they drop to 94th in the world.

They are now 21st in Africa.

This is according to the FIFA/CocaCola rankings released on Wednesday. They were the fourth biggest losers in the continent this month after Guinea,
Nigeria and African champions Egypt.

The international friendly against Lesotho was called off after the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) failed to raise US$34 000 to fly the players from Zimbabwe, South Africa, China and Poland to Maseru.

The Warriors needed the match to prepare for the do-or-die Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Morocco in Harare on March 24.

ZIFA, through vice chairman Tendai Madzorera, have indicated that they will try to organise another match again as part of their preparations for the Morocco match.

Cape Verde Islands, Ethiopia, Congo (Brazzaville) are now ranked above Zimbabwe, meaning that if they are out of the top 100 by the time the draw for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is made, the Warriors will start in the preliminary rounds.

AFRICA'S Top 30

(world rankings in brackets):
1. Cameroon (17)
2. Cote d’Ivoire (21)
3. Ghana (22)
4. Mali (35)
5. Nigeria (36)
6. Senegal (38)
7. Egypt (42)
8. Morocco (43)
9. Tunisia (45)
10. Burkina Faso (57)
11. Angola (58)
12. South Africa (59)
13. Guinea (62)
14. Zambia (65)
15. Togo (69)
16. Cape Verde Islands (78)
17. Algeria (80)
18. Congo DR (82)
19. Ethiopia (91)
20. Congo (93)
21. Zimbabwe (94)
22. Libya (97)
23. Gabon (99)
24. Uganda (102)
25. Malawi (103)
26. Botswana (105)
27. Equatorial Guinea (107)
28. Tanzania (109)
29. Liberia (112)
30. Sudan (112)