Botswana have culled 10 players from the squad that went to the African Nations Cup finals earlier this month as they prepare to face Bafana Bafana in the World Cup preliminaries next month.

Among the players sidelined are striker Jerome Ramatlhakwane, who was their top scorer in the qualifying campaign; veteran goalkeeper Modiri Marumo and Cape Town-based midfielder Boitumelo Mafoko.

Instead coach Stanley Tshosane has named just three foreign based players in his new-look 25-man squad side – all from clubs across the border in South Africa.

Mogogi Gabonamong will be fancied to take over as captain while Phenyo Mongala from Bloemfontein Celtic and the Bay United striker Moemedi Moatlhaping are in the squad picked for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Botswana host South Africa on Saturday June 9 in Gaborone but first must play away in the Central African Republic on June 2 at the start of the Group A campaign.

Also gone from the squad is veteran Dipsy Selolwane, who has retired from national team duty after Botswana’s Nations Cup exploits where the Zebras suffered a record equaling defeat in their debut at the finals.

The match against the Central African Republic in Bangui will be their first since they lost all three games at the finals in Gabon in January. Botswana lost to Guinea 6-1 to equal the record for the worst defeat in Nations Cup finals history but played better in games against Ghana and Mali.

Botswana Squad: Goalkeepers: Kabelo Dambe (Township Rollers), Noah Maposa (Gaborone United), Mompoloki Sephekelo (Centre Chiefs)

Defenders: Thabiso Khunwane (Centre Chiefs), Richard Legaila (Nico United), Ndiyapo Letsholathebe (Police XI), Ofentse Mmipi (Extension Gunners), Tshepo Motlhabankwe (Centre Chiefs), Oscar Ncenga (Township Rollers), Mmusa Ohilwe (Gaborone United), Edwin Olerile (Township Rollers)

Midfielders: Mogogi Gabonamong (SuperSport United, South Africa), Sekhana Koko (Township Rollers), Joel Mogorosi (Centre Chiefs), Phenyo Mongala (Bloemfontein Celtic, South Africa), Patrick Motsepe (Botswana Defence Force XI), Galabgwe Moyana (Centre Chiefs), Ofentse Nato (Gaborone United), Ontse Ntesa (ECCO City Greens)

Strikers: Moemedi Moatlhaping (Bay United, South Africa), Kekaetswe Moloi (Centre Chiefs), Jackie Motlhatego (Uniao Flamingo Santos), Mogakolodi Ngele, Tebogo Sembowa (both Township Rollers), Lemponye Tshireletso (Botswana Defence Force XI).

Zimbabwe coach Rahman Gumbo has named a 30-man squad ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next month.

The Warriors will host Guinea in a World Cup qualifier on June 3, before travelling to COSAFA rivals Mozambique the following weekend.

They then return home for the second leg of their 2013 Nations Cup qualifier against Burundi, trailing 2-1 from the away leg in February.

Seven of the players come from the South African Premier Soccer League, including the AmaZulu duo of Tapuwa Kapini and Carrington Nyadombo, striker Terrence Mandaza (Platinum Stars), stalwart midfielder Tinashe Nengomasha and Willard Katsande (Kaizer Chiefs), forward Khama Billiat (Ajax Cape Town) and winger Oscar Machapa (Moroka Swallows).

Also included is former Kaizer Chiefs striker Knowledge Musona, who now plays in Germany with Hoffenheim, and there is a first call-up for midfielder Bradley Pritchard for newly-promoted English Championship side Charlton Athletic.

ZIMBABWE SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Tapiwa Kapini (AmaZulu, SA), Njabulo Nyoni (Chicken Inn) Marlon Jani (Motor Action), Timothy Sibanda (Hwange)

Defenders: Tapiwa Khumbuyani (CAPS United), Godfrey Moyo (Motor Action), Patson Jaure (Dynamos), Nyasha Mukumbi (CAPS United), Onismore Bhasera (Plymouth Argyle, England), Carrington Nyadombo (AmaZulu, SA)

Midfielders: Simon Munawa (Highlanders), Denver Mukamba (Dynamos), Charles Sibanda (FC Platinum), Kuda Mahachi (Chicken Inn), Ronald Chitiyo (Monomotapa), Welcome Ndiweni (FC Platinum), Bradley Pritchard (Charlton Athletic, England), Vusa Nyoni (Gerninal Beerschot, Belgium), Tinashe Nengomasha (Kaizer Chiefs, SA), Khama Billiat (Ajax Cape Town, SA), Ovidy Karuru (US Boulogne), Willard Katsande (Kaizer Chiefs, SA), Oscar Machapa (Moroka Swallows, SA), Archiford Gutu (Kalmar FF, Sweden)

Strikers: Rodwell Chinyengetere (Hwange), Takesure Chinyama (Dynamos), Francisco Zvikumbawire (Hwange), Terrence Mandaza (Platinum Stars, SA), Arnold Chaka (Mochudi Centre Chiefs, Botswana), Knowledge Musona (Hoffeinheim, Germany).

Lesotho Correction Services have won the league title in the mountain kingdom securing the championship for a second successive year.

They finished the season with defeat to Matlama but had already made sure of a healthy six-point advantage over second placed Lesotho Defence Force.

It was a sixth league success in total for Masheshena, who are now third ion the overall list of successful sides in Basotho football history after Matlama (10 title wins) and Lesotho Defence Force (eight times).

LCS finished with 44 points from their 22 league games to 38 for the soldiers. Third were Bantu United on 35 points.

LCS coach Mosholu Mokhothu has now won a total of four league championships but heaped all the accolades onto his players. “You’ve got to praise the unity and spirit of our players. They were brilliant and well done to them,” he said. “A season of hard work has come to fruition. We have got good individuals, who all worked their socks off. But what is even more is the work ethic of the team,” he told reporters.

Angola have announced wholesale changes to their squad after the recent African Nations Cup as caretaker coach Romeu Filemon published a list of 32 players called up for the two World Cup matches next month. The list is made up of 20 locally-based players and 12 from outside of Angola. It also signals the end of the international careers of the likes of Flavio and Gilberto, the former Al Ahli of Egypt pair, and captain Andre Makanga. Perennial goal scorer Love and defender Kali were also left out. Angola were eliminated in the first round of the Nations Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and Equatorial Guinea and three months later coach Lito Vidigal stepped down. They now focus on the next Nations Cup finals but must first hosts Uganda and then play away in Liberia on the opening two weekends of June in the World Cup qualifiers.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Jotabe (Petro Atletico), Landu (Recreativo Libolo), Neblu (Primeiro Agosto)

Defenders: Bastos (Petro Atletico), Dani Massunguna (Primeiro Agosto), Edson Silva (Recreativo Caala), Fissy (InterClube), Lunguinha (Kabuscorp), Mingo Bille (Primeiro Agosto), Mussumary (Recreativo Libolo), Nary, Pirolito (both InterClube), Zuela (Atromitos, Greece)

Midfielders: Adawa (Recreativo Libolo), Ady (AS Aviacao), Dedé (AEL Limassol, Cyprus), Dominique Kivuvu (Mjallby AIF, Sweden), Isaac (Progresso Sambizanga), Mano (Petro Atletico), Manucho (Primeiro Agosto), Manuel (AS Aviacao), Miguel (Petro Atletico)

Forwards: Aguinaldo, Carlitos, Chico Caputo (all Recreativo Libolo), Djalma (FC Porto, Portugal), Geraldo (Curitiba, Brazil), Job (Petro Atletico), Kembwa (Petro Atletico), Manucho Goncalves (Real Valladolid, Spain), Nando Rafael (FC Augsburg, Germany), Yano (Progresso Sambizanga).

Soccer City in Johannesburg will host the opening game and final of next year’s African Nations Cup finals, the South African sports minister Fikile Mbalula said on Friday as the host cities for the 16-team tournament were announced at a government briefing in Pretoria.

The rest of the tournament will be played in Durban, Nelspruit, Port Elizabeth and Rustenburg, which were all venues for the 2010 World Cup.

The three-week tournament is being played next Jan 19-Feb 10.

Angola have arranged four warm-up games before they get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway next month. The Angolan football federation says the country will play Nigeria on May 15 in Luanda and the Cape Verde Islands and Macedonia in Lisbon on May 26 and May 29 in full international warm-ups. Also arranged is a match against foreign-based players competing in Angola’s GiraBola in May 23 at Luanda’s Estadio 11 de Novembre. The Palancas Negras will begin preparations in Luanda from May 10 under interim coach Romeu Filemon, appointed last month to replace Lito Vidigal. Angola’s opening World Cup match is at home to Uganda in Luanda on June 3, followed by a match against Liberia in Monrovia one week later.

Mozambique have lost 3-0 in a friendly international against Iran that was played in Tehran on Wednesday. The match was used as a tune-up for both countries ahead of their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June. Iran’s goals came via Mohammad Gholami (11 minutes), Ghasem Dehnavi (41) and Pejman Nouri (59). The Mambas finished the game with nine men after winger Payam Sadeghian and goalkeeper Kapango were handed their marching orders in the final 10 minutes. Iran’s Mozambique-born coach Carlos Queiroz had arranged for the fixture to be played. Iran have been drawn in Group A of the fourth stage of Asian World Cup qualifying, along with South Korea, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Lebanon. Mozambique are in Group G of the CAF qualifiers and will face Egypt, Guinea and Zimbabwe.

The South African women’s national team will take on COSAFA rivals Zimbabwe in a friendly international in Harare on May 12.

The match will be important preparation for Banyana Banyana as they look towards the 2012 London Olympics, where they have been drawn in a tough pool that includes world champions Japan, Sweden and Canada.

The team also has a 2012 African Women's Championships qualifier against Zambia later this month as they seek to book their place in the finals in Equatorial Guinea in November.

Zimbabwe will take on the might of Nigeria in their two-legged qualifier, while Mozambique face another West African giant in Cote d’Ivoire.

The first legs of the ties are to be played on the weekend of May 25-27, with the return fixtures in June 15-17.

COSAFA side Mozambique will play an international friendly against Iran in Tehran on May 2. The Iranians are coached by Mozambique-born Carlos Queiroz, who has also previously coach South Africa, Portugal and Real Madrid. They are coming off a 2-0 win over Mauritania last week and are using the friendly matches as a warm-up for June’s 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Iran have been drawn in Group A of the fourth stage of Asian qualifying, along with South Korea, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Lebanon. Mozambique are in Group G of the CAF qualifiers and will face Egypt, Guinea and Zimbabwe.

Banyana Banyana will take on world champions Japan, Sweden and Canada in their Group B at the 2012 London Olympics.

It is an extremely difficult draw for the South Africans, who are debuting at their first ever FIFA competition finals.

Aside from current FIFA World Cup holders Japan, Sweden finished third at the World Cup in 2011 and Canada are recognized as a rising power in the women’s game.

All three of South Africa’s opponents at the Olympics are positioned in the top seven in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings. Banyana are positioned at number 65.

Group A sees hosts Great Britain drawn with New Zealand, Cameroon and Brazil, a pool in which the South Americans and home side will be heavy favourites.

Group C has favourites USA and France drawn with Colombia and North Korea in what could be a fairly one-sided pool.

The top two nations in each pool advance to the quarterfinals, along with the two best-ranked third-place finishers.

The USA have won three of the previous four women’s football tournaments at the Olympics – 1996, 2004 and 2008.

Norway were the only team to break that run when they were successful at the 2000 Games in Sydney.

Angola on Monday appointed Romeu Filemon as interim national coach while it searches for a permanent replacement for Lito Vidigal, who left last week after poor results. "Afterwards, Filemon will hand over to the next coach, with whom we are already negotiating," FAF President Pedro Neto said.

Neto did not provide any names, but said the next coach could be from Brazil, Uruguay or one of the former Yugoslav countries.

The FAF last week said the results and performances of the national team at January's African Nations Cup, where they were eliminated at the first stage, had made Vidigal's position untenable and so his contract was terminated by mutual consent.

Filemon, 45, will coach the Palancas Negras while also remaining in charge of Primeiro de Agosto, currently third in the Angolan league Girabola, with 14 points from seven matches.

Angola in June start their bid to qualify for the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Stanley Tshosane said Monday he will continue coaching shock 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers Botswana after signing a three-year contract extension. The former army officer mocked the form book by guiding the Zebras to first place ahead of Tunisia, Malawi, Togo and Chad in the eliminators for the tournament. Botswana restricted top-four finishers Ghana and Mali to single-goal victories at the Cup of Nations either side of a 6-1 drubbing by Guinea in Gabon. Tshosane now turns his attention to the 2014 World Cup qualifiers with Botswana away to the Central African Republic and home to COSAFA neighbours South Africa during June in a group completed by Ethiopia. The sparsely populated diamond-rich southern Africa country received a bye into the final round of the 2013 Cup of Nations qualifying competition scheduled for September and October.

The coaching casualty list from the 2012 African Nations Cup finals has risen to five with Angola sacking Lito Vidigal. "We announce the friendly and mutually agreed termination of the contract with national coach Jose Lito Vidigal," said an Angola Football Federation statement. He follows Goran Stevanovic of Ghana, Paulo Duarte of Burkina Faso, Amara Traore of Senegal and Harouna Doula of Niger on to the scrapheap after failing to match expectations at a tournament won by Cosafa's top ranked country Zambia. Angola defeated Burkina Faso, drew with Sudan, having led twice, and lost to Cote d'Ivoire and were eliminated after the first round on goal difference -- a bitter blow with a last-eight place seen as the bottom line. Lito began his reign promisingly by guiding Angola to the 2011 African Nations Championship final in Khartoum and he did well to make the Nations Cup finals line-up with a dramatic surge from behind to win their qualifying group.

2012

13-15 April: FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup third round, second leg qualifying

20-22 April: African Youth Championship first round, first leg qualifiers

23 April: Senegal v Oman, Olympic Games qualifying play-off, Coventry

24 April: Olympics draw, London

27-29 April: African Champions League, African Confederation Cup third round first leg

4-6 May: African Youth Championship first round, second leg qualifiers; FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final round, first leg qualifying

11-13 May: African Champions League, African Confederation Cup third round second leg

15 May: African Champions League, African Confederation Cup draws, Cairo

16-17 May: CAF executive committee meeting, Cairo

18-20 May: FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final round, second leg qualifying

24-25 May: FIFA Congress, Budapest

25-27 May: African women’s championship qualifying first round, first leg

1-3 June: World Cup qualifying

8-10 June: World Cup qualifying

15-17 June: African Nations Cup first round, second leg qualifiers; African women’s championship qualifying first round, second leg

29-30 June, 1 July: African Confederation Cup fourth round, first leg

6-8 July: African Champions League group matches

13-15 July: African Confederation Cup fourth round, second leg

20-22 July: African Champions League group matches

25 July-11 August: Olympic football tournament, men and women, London

27-29 July: African Youth Championship second round, first leg qualifiers

3-5 August: African Champions League, African Confederation Cup group matches

10-12 August: African Youth Championship second round, second leg qualifiers

15 August: International friendlies

17-19 August: African Champions League, African Confederation Cup group matches

19 August-8 September: FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Japan

24-26 August: African Champions League, African Confederation Cup group matches

30 August-10 September: CAF extra-ordinary congress, executive committee meetings, Seychelles

31 August, 1-2 September: African Champions League, African Confederation Cup group matches

7-9 September: African Nations Cup final round, first leg qualifiers; African U-17 Championship first round, first leg qualifiers

14-16 September: African Champions League, African Confederation Cup group matches

21-23 September: African Youth Championship final round, first leg qualifiers; African U-17 Championship first round, second leg qualifiers

22 September-13 October: FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, Azerbaijan

5-7 October: African Champions League semifinal, first leg; African Confederation Cup group matches; African Youth Championship final round, second leg qualifiers

12-14 October: African Nations Cup final round, second leg qualifiers; African U-17 Championship second round, first leg qualifiers

19-21 October: African Champions League semifinal, second leg; African Confederation Cup group matches

26 October: African Nations Cup finals draw

26-28 October: African U-17 Championship second round, second leg qualifiers

28 October-11 November: African Women’s Championship, Equatorial Guinea

2-4 November: African Champions League final, first leg; African Confederation Cup semifinal, first leg

2-18 November: Futsal World Cup, Thailand

9-11 November: African Champions League final, second leg; African Confederation Cup semifinal, second leg

16-18 November: African Confederation Cup final, first leg; African U-17 Championship final round, first leg qualifiers

23-25 November: African Confederation Cup final, second leg

30 November-2 December: African Nations Championship first round, first leg qualifiers; African U-17 Championship final round, second leg qualifiers

6-16 December: Club World Cup, Japan

14-16 December: African Nations Championship first round, second leg qualifiers;

2013

19 January-10 February: African Nations Cup finals, South Africa

10 March: CAF Congress, Morocco (venue tba)

16-30 March: African Youth Championship, Algeria

22-26 March: World Cup qualifying

13-27 April: African under-17 Championship, Morocco

7-11 June: World Cup qualifying

14-18 June: World Cup qualifying

6-10 September: World Cup qualifying

11-15 October: World Cup qualifying final round, first leg

14 November-6 December: FIFA U-17 World Cup, United Arab Emirates

15-19 November: World Cup qualifying final round, second leg

11-21 December: Club World Cup, Morocco

2014

12 June-13 July: World Cup finals, Brazil

10-20 December: Club World Cup, Morocco.

Zambia remain the top-ranked COSAFA side after the latest FIFA World Rankings released on Wednesday.

Chipolopolo are now at number 40 on the global list and five in Africa, well ahead of their nearest COSAFA rivals, South Africa.

Bafana Bafana have slipped to number 71 in the world and 15th in Africa, having spent much of 2011 in the top 50.

Angola (78 in the world, 18 in Africa) are the third-placed side from the COSAFA region, followed by Malawi (102, 23) and Zimbabwe (104, 25). Cote d’Ivoire remain the top African side, followed by Ghana, Algeria, Mali and current African champions Zambia. Gabon, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Nigeria round out the Top 10.

Spain sit on top of the global rankings, but Netherlands have slipped to fourth behind Germany and Uruguay. Portugal have moved up to fifth, followed by Brazil, England, Croatia, Denmark and Argentina.

The South African Under-17 side have finished second in a three-team tournament in Namibia that also included the hosts and German side Westphalia. South Africa lost 4-3 to the Germans in the decider, played in Walvis Bay, but very nearly staged a remarkable comeback. The team were 4-0 down just past the hour-mark, but made a game of it from there, netting three times through Elias Monene, Nhlakanipho Mkhwanazi and Siyanda Ngcobo. In the first match of the tournament South Africa drew 2-2 against Namibia. The hosts had a 1-0 lead at the break after Nhalanipho Ntuli missed a penalty, but Amajimbos fought back to score two goals in the second half – Ntuli and Ngcobo find the back of the net. Namibia, however, found the equaliser with six minutes left on the clock. South Africa also played to a 1-1 draw against Westphalia on Sunday, before the final on Monday.

Three COSAFA countries will be taking part in a Under-17 Four-Nation tournament over Easter in Walvis Bay, Namibia. The hosts will be joined by South Africa, Zambia and a side from the German region of Westphalia.

The COSAFA sides will use this as preparation for the African Under-17 Championship qualifiers which are scheduled to begin in October this year. SAFA Technical Director Serame Letsoaka believes this will be a good exercise for the Under-17 squad as they gear up for the qualifiers and give them an opportunity to see the players they will be working with.

“This Four Nations tournament is a good exercise for the Under-17 squad and will give us a good head start ahead of the African Under-17 Championship qualifiers to take place later this year. “I believe this is also an opportunity for the team to get to know each other better, especially in a match situation. We need to give this team as many games as possible before the qualifiers begin,” said Letsoaka.

The SA U-20 Women’s side lost 2-0 to Ghana in their second round, first leg, FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifier.

In the first half of the match at the Sinaba Stadium in Daveyton, the two sides were evenly-matched with either team having a chance to take the lead – but the goalkeepers from both ends saved the day on numerous occasions.

The match changed direction early in the second half the visitors scored a crucial away goal.

This was after a harmless ball was floated into the South African goal, and Florence Dadson, who was a constant thorn in the Basetsana defence in the first half, tapped in for a 1-0 lead.

The hosts made two substitutions immediately after the goal with Kelson Peskin and Nomvula Kgoale replacing Shiwe Nogwanya and Rachel Sebati respectively.

South Africa suffered a further setback in the 78th minute Patience Hlongwane was red-carded for a foul in the penalty box. Elizabeth Addo stepped up to give Ghana a 2-0 lead, and that’s how it ended.

“The fact that we have lost two nil to Ghana means we are in a tough battle to reverse the result and progress to the third round of the qualifiers. Ghana’s first goal was too soft, and for the second our player made a wrong decision which led to the unfortunate penalty and dismissal. This means we will have to re-focus and change tactics when we play away,” said South Africa head coach Sheryl Botes.

“I am hoping that the injured Jermaine will be available in the second leg as her experience was needed today. We need to attack Ghana in the return leg match and camp in their half. As difficult as it may seem, we have to score more goals to keep our hopes alive of reaching the third round and eventually qualify for the finals. We haven’t given up as there’s still much to play for,” added Botes.

Basetsana will now travel to Accra, Ghana in a fortnight for the second leg.

The overall winner will play the third and final round of the qualifiers between 4 and 20 May. The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup tournament will be played from 19 August to 8 September 2012 in Japan.

The South African Under-20 Women's team will face Ghana in their second round, first leg qualifier for the 2012 FIFA Under-20 Women's World Cup on Saturday.

The Basetsana squad has been in camp since Monday in preparation for the match at the Sinaba Stadium in Daveyton and played to a goalless draw in a practice training match against the senior Women's side on Tuesday.

They will play the second practice training match against Sunwood Park Boys side on Thursday afternoon. Head coach of the Basetsana squad, Sheryl Botes, is aware that the clash against Ghana is going to be tougher than their previous opponents Botswana, so it is essential that the team prepares adequately. South Africa has a doubtful starter in the influential Robyn Moodley who dislocated her arm in the return leg against Botswana played three weeks ago. She did, however, take part in the practice match against Banyana Banyana. “The mood in the camp is very positive following our victory over Botswana. But it’s all in the past as we turn our focus to Ghana,” Botes says.

“We played to a goalless draw against Banyana Banyana and this match has helped us to work on our defensive tactics. Our main focus is building the base for attacks, the more goals we score in the home leg, the better for us as it will help a great deal in the return leg in Ghana in a fortnight.

“With the practice game against the boys on Thursday we will be able to also work on our defensive tactics to ensure we don’t concede, especially at home,” added Botes.

Host cities and stadiums for next year's African Nations Cup will be announced on April 4.

The South African Football Association says the match venues will be made public during a visit by an Confederation of African Football inspection team.

Representatives from eight bidding venues presented bids to SAFA on Monday.

South Africa could use seven stadiums for the 16-team event in January and February next year, the most ever at Nations Cup. Organizers say those built for the 2010 World Cup will be preferred.

Soweto's Soccer City will likely host the opening game and final.

South Africa took over the 2013 Nations Cup from troubled Libya, who now host the 2017 edition.

A first Confederation of African Football inspection team will arrive in South Africa next week to work on the details for next African Nations Cup finals. CAF vice president Suketu Patel, who is also the head of the regional Council for South African Football Associations (COSAFA), will be leading a four-man delegation to Johannesburg from April 1-4. He will be accompanied by CAF’s new general secretary Hicham El Amrani, their marketing director Amr Shaheen and Shereen Arafa, who is charge of the Nations Cup organisation. All come from CAF headquarters in Cairo. They will meet South African Football Association to finalise the venues for the finals, which are set from January 19 to February 10 next year. The host cities are still to be decided as SAFA negotiate with municipalities, provinces and government to cover the cost of the event. There are seven candidates cities – Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth and Rustenburg – to host the matches.

A proposed friendly between Botswana and African champions Zambia on Tuesday has been postponed.

The COSAFA rivals were due to meet in an international match in Gaborone, but the game has now been moved to a later date. It would have been a high-profile fixture between two 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finals teams, but as it falls out of a FIFA date, the teams struggled to assemble their squads.

Instead, Botswana are in negotiations with Namibia to tackle the Brave Warriors at home on Wednesday.

Both teams will now look forward to the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June. Zambia take on Sudan (away) and Ghana (home), while Botswana meet Central African Republic (away) and South Africa (home).

The South African’s Women’s side will take on Ghana in an international friendly at the Orlando Stadium next Wednesday.

The match is a Sport and Recreation SA initiative, supported by SAFA and Sasol. Ghana will travel to South Africa as the All-Africa Games silver medalists, having lost the final 1-0 to Cameroon at the African sports showpiece event held in Mozambique in September last year.

Experienced Palace Super Falcons midfielder Mamello Makhabane and University of Johannesburg midfield anchor Yola Jafta, as well as University of Pretoria central defender Cindy-Leigh Meyer, have been added to the Banyana Banyana team that did duty at the Cyprus Women’s Cup earlier this month.

“Banyana Banyana will be ready for this match especially with Ghana ranked No 2 in Africa,” said Banyana Banyana national head coach Joseph Mkhonza, adding that the national players will report for camp on Saturday afternoon.

“Jafta and Makhabane are both recovering from injuries but have been called up for camp so that our biokinetics specialist can monitor their progress. Meyer, who attended the three-week national training camp held in Stellenbosch in January, is a regular member of our team camps.”

The door for selection for the Banyana Banyana team to compete at the London Olympics in July is still open and Mkhonza and his technical team are closely assessing talent at the Sasol League Road Shows being held over the next few weeks.

Tickets for Wednesday’s match are free of charge to the public and will be available from Monday at Computicket, Shoprite and Shoprite Checkers outlets.

The South African Football Association have officially unveiled the Chief Executive Officer of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, Mvuzo Mbebe. Mbebe, who will also be in charge of the 2014 African Nations Championship, said the immediate task was selecting the final host cities for the 2013 Afcon tournament. He provided an extensive briefing to all candidates host cities on Tuesday and the cities will make final presentations in support of their bids on March 23. After a thorough evaluation, the confirmation of host cities will be done during the week of March 26 with the signing of the Host Cities Agreements scheduled for March 31. A senior delegation of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will conduct a preliminary inspection visit in the first week of April, which will be followed by workshops on the functional areas and its operations. The launch of the 2013 AFCON is scheduled for Tuesday, April 3. “We don’t have the luxury of time but we are leaving nothing to chance as we have set ourselves high standards following the successful delivery of the best ever FIFA World Cup in 2010. The criterion of the final host cities selection is going to be rigorous but fair,” said Mbebe. “Some of the issues we are going to be strict on are matters of cost, legacy benefits, accessibility, current infrastructure and having demonstrated ability to attract spectators to events, football in particular,” added Mbebe.

The SA Under-17 Women’s side have played to a 0-0 draw home to Ghana in the first leg of their FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier.

The second leg will be played in two weeks’ time in Ghana, where the winner will qualify for the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan which will be played between 18 September and 13 October this year.

South Africa controlled the proceedings from the first whistle but could not convert the chances that came their way.

They had a clear-cut opportunity to open the lead in the 24th minute from a corner-kick, but opposition goalkeeper Victoria Antwi Agyei did well to deny them.

The visitors also had some chances of their own and had Bantwana in trouble only for Katlego Moletsane in the South African goals to keep them at bay.

Bantwana head coach Greg Mashilo made two changes in the 46th minute, bringing on Amogelang Motau and Caryn van Reyneveldt for Shenell Jacobs and Thembi Kgatlana respectively.

The start of the second half belonged to Ghana who always looked dangerous on the attack. They kept Moletsane very busy in the first 20 minutes of this stanza.

Bantwana gained their composure in latter stages of the half and could have scored but the visitors were resilient in defence, and when they were breached Agyei came to the rescue.

Despite being disappointed with the result, Mashilo is optimistic about the away leg.

“I was expecting Ghana to play the way they did, but we did not stick to our game plan. I’m not happy that we did not score as we wasted a number of scoring opportunities but I have faith and trust in the girls in the return match. We know now that we are faced with a tougher challenge when we play in their backyard. We need to work extra hard to ensure we return victorious. On the other hand I am excited that we did not concede as that was going to make our job even harder,” said Mashilo.

Head coach of the Ghanaian side, Dramani Mas-Ud Didi, was happy with the performance of his charges.

“We played well against South Africa but they were very good tactically and came at us strongly. They gave us a very strong challenge. I am however impressed with the quality of women’s football on the continent as both sides played good football – it’s just a pity there were no goals. I believe we have an advantage going into the second leg at home. We know what we must do to win and ensure we book ourselves a ticket to Azerbaijan,” said the Ghanaian coach.

Bantwana captain, Nomvula Kgoale is also positive about the match in Ghana.

“This match gave us an insight into what we should expect in the second leg clash. They gave us a tough time, and while we created numerous opportunities we could not find the back of the net, but we should be able to rectify that when we go into camp ahead of the match in Ghana. We understand the importance of qualifying for the World Cup and we will double our efforts towards achieving our goal of playing in Azerbaijan,” said Kgoale.

The South African Under-17 Women’s side, known as Bantwana, faces Ghana in the final round of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers, starting with a first leg clash on Saturday at the Sinaba Stadium in Daveyton.

Bantwana made history by being the first South African Women’s National Team to qualify for a FIFA World Cup. The South Africans took part in the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup Trinidad and Tobago in 2010. Ghana was one of the three African representatives at that tournament and will also be looking to book themselves tickets to Azerbaijan.

Bantwana head coach Gregory Mashilo is satisfied with the work done ahead of the first leg qualifier.

“We all know the importance of qualifying for the World Cup, so this match will be taken as seriously as the previous qualifying matches (home and away) against Namibia. I feel the squad is well prepared for the task that lies ahead.

“We completed our last training session early this morning to allow the girls to put in some school work and get enough rest ahead of the match. We have been working hard on our attack because we are all aware that the more goals we score in the home leg will make us comfortable when we travel to Ghana for the return leg,” said Mashilo.

“We are playing at home and should utilise the home ground advantage. We have also drawn inspiration from Banyana Banyana’s qualification to the London Olympics. They have set an example for the junior women’s national teams to follow. We want to continue winning so we can qualify for major events such as the World Cup so that when the Under-17 girls graduate to the senior teams, winning will have become a habit,” added Mashilo.

South Africa’s junior sides have been handed tough draws in the next World Cup qualifiers but at least been given a bye in the first round.

South Africa’s Under-20, who hosted the last African Youth Championships in April, have been dawn against Congo in the second round of the qualifiers later this year.

If South Africa get past Congo, they will play either Nigeria, Sudan or Tanzania in the next knockout round in September and October.

The winner of that match goes through to the 2013 finals in Algeria, from which the African sides to progress to the next FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Turkey are decided.

At Under-17 level, South Africa have been drawn to play fellow COSAFA nation Zambia with the first leg at home in mid-October and the return game a fortnight later.

The winner of the tie then meets either Ghana or the Gambia for a place at next year’s African Under-17 Championships in Morocco.

The next FIFA World Cup at Under-17 level will be played in the United Arab Emirates at the end of 2013.

A number of COSAFA nations were in action on Wednesday as the first leg matches of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations first round qualifiers were played across the continent.

Mozambique will be the happier side after coming away from their qualifier in Tanzania with a 1-1 draw. It means The Mambas have the advantage going into the home leg for them in June, where they will hope to finish off the job.

The visitors took the lead through Cleusio Bauque after a great solo run through the Tanzania defence to stun the home fans. But Tanzania were level again after Mwinyi Kazimoto netted in the second half and with neither side able to find a winner, it remained 1-1 until the end.

Malawi lost 3-2 in Chad, but will feel they are still very much in the game with the home leg still to come. Mahamat Labbo gave Chad a first-half lead, before Ntusaye Nyondo equalised just before the break.

Leger Djime put the home side back in front, before he added a third, his second of the game, to put his side 3-1 up. But Malawi kept fighting and pulled a goal back through Atletico Madrid youngster Robin Ngalande to set up a thrilling second leg.

Zimbabwe need to overturn a 2-1 defeat in Burundi in the second leg in Harare in June. Mavugo Lody gave Burundi the lead in the first minute of the second half to send the home fans into raptures.

But Zimbabwe were level on the hour-mark through Hoffenheim striker Knowledge Musona, who netted a welcome away goal for his side. It looked as though the game might finish that way, until Valery Nahayo, a former teammate of Musona’s at Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa, popped up to net the winner.

Namibia gave a good account of themselves in Liberia, but ended up losing 1-0 to their hosts.

The decisive moment in the game came after Dioh Williams found the back of the net to convert one of a number of chances created by the home side.

Namibia will not be too disappointed with the result having built a fine home record over the past few years and will fancy their chances in the return leg in June.

Madagascar lost 4-0 to Cape Verde to likely end their participation in the qualifiers. The first leg match in Antananarivo was a one-sided affair that was totally dominated by the visitors, with Madagascar finishing the game with 10 men as well.

Dady netted Cape Verde’s first after 37 minutes, before Ryan Mendes added a second just a minute later. The away side made the tie safe with two more goals in the second period, Fernando Varela netting with 10 minutes to go, before Toni Varela added a fourth late on.

Seychelles also suffered a 4-0 home defeat at the hands of DR Congo. Alain Kaluyituka netted the opener for the visitors on 14 minutes, before Tresor Mputu doubled the advantage on 28 minutes.

Kaluyituka got his second just after halftime and then netted a fourth goal late on to seal the comfortable win.

COSAFA countries begin their journey on the road to qualification for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday with games across the continent.

South Africa have already secured their place at the tournament as hosts, while Lesotho were knocked out in the preliminary round. Swaziland and Comoros did not enter the qualifiers at all.

Those sides that participated at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, eventual winners Zambia, Botswana and Angola all have a bye in this round of qualifying.

Mozambique play a third competitive match under new German coach Gert Engels when they meet Tanzania away in the first leg of their African Nations Cup first leg qualifier.

They have already easily secured progress to the group phase of the World Cup qualifiers after a two-legged triumph over the Comoros Islands in November.

Engels, whose selection of home based players suffered a 3-0 defeat to Namibia in a warm-up international in Windhoek last week, has picked 18 players for the trip to Dar-es-Salaam, including Dominguez from Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa and the Portuguese-based trio of Jerry, Mexer and Jumisse.

New Zimbabwe coach Rahman Gumbo has recalled Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Esrom Nyandoro to a new-look squad for the first leg of their first round qualifier in Burundi.

Also included in the Zimbabwe squad are former Kaizer Chiefs stars Knowledge Musona (TSG Hoffenheim, Germany) and Onismor Bhasera (Plymouth Argyle, England) and they will go up against ex-teammate Valery Nahayo, who is now playing club soccer in Belgium and will be captaining Burundi.

Malawi must go to Chad, the side who denied them a place in the last round Nations Cup with a last-gasp goal in their final qualifier in October last year.

Madagascar have named six foreign based players in an expansive 26-man squad, which sees national technical director Jean Francois Debon now in charge of a three man coaching team for their first game at home to Cape Verde Islands.

Namibia face a tough away day when they go to Liberia, but will be buoyed by that win over Mozambique, while Seychelles entertain DR Congo.

All these matches are first leg encounters, with the return game in June this year.

Madagascar have named six foreign-based players in an expansive 26-man squad for next week’s African Nations Cup qualifier at home to the Cape Verde Islands at Antananarivo’s Mahamasina Municipal Stadium. National technical director Jean Francois Debon, in charge of a three man coaching team, said the squad included the French based pair of Johann Paul and Paulin Voavy. The 30-year-old Paul plays for Amiens, who are bottom of Ligue 2, while 24-year-old Voavy is at Cannes, in the third tier of French league football, but not played this season. There are also players from Reunion and Algeria in the squad for the first round, first leg. The return match is in June.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Robin Jean Claude Rakotonirina (TCO), Dieudonné Randrianasolo (Cnaps Sport) Defenders: Lanto Andriamanalina (Tana Formation), Abdouraham Abdou Mohamed (Toamasina FC), Damien Mahavony (FC Real), Edgard Nandrasana, Yasser Radahy (both AS Adema), Ronald Rajaonarivelo, Andy Tahina Randrianarisoa, Vonjy Julio Razafimahatratra (all Cnaps Sport) Midfieders: Urbain Andriamampionona (Stade Tamponnaise, Reunion), Tsiala Ganja (AS Adema), Johann Paul (Amiens, France), Tovohery Rabenandrasana (Cnaps Sport), John Rakotonomenjanahary (Stade Tamponnaise, Reunion), Ferdinand Ramanamahefa, Dina Fiononana Fanoniriana Razanakoto (Tana Formation), Paulin Voavy (Cannes, France) Forwards: Ibrahim Samuel Amada (AS Khroub, Algeria), Carolus Andriamahitisinoro (WA Tlemcen, Algeria), Boto Fanoregna (Japan Actuel's FC), Claudel Fanomezana (Tana Formation), Henri Charles Gladison (FC Real).

COSAFA sides Malawi and Mozambique will face-off in a friendly international in Blantyre on Saturday. The teams are preparing for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers which start at the end of the month. Mozambique already have a date with Namibia on Wednesday, but will then travel to Malawi to continue their preparations. Malawi travel to Chad for their Nations Cup qualifier on February 29. The Flames drew at Chad in October in the 2012 qualifying, dramatically conceding a goal in stoppage time at the end of the game that cost them a place at the recently completed tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Mozambique must travel to Tanzania for the first match in their tie, seeking to return to the Nations Cup finals after exiting in the first round in Angola in 2010.

Namibia will meet Mozambique in a friendly international in Windhoek next Wednesday as the pair tune-up for 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later in the month.

It will be the first official meeting between the sides since they met in 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers over 15 years ago, when Namibia prevailed 2-0 in Windhoek. Namibia are preparing to meet Liberia in Monrovia in the first leg of their 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier as they seek a place in South Africa next year.

Mozambique, meanwhile, travel to Tanzania for their first leg clash in what is a difficult tie for them.

Both first leg qualification matches are on February 29, with the return fixtures set for June.

Zambia have overtaken South Africa to move to the top of the COSAFA country list after the latest FIFA Rankings were released this week.

Chipolopolo moved up to number four on the continent and number 43 in the world after they won the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations tournament held in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is their highest position for some 10 years, but still weel short of their best-ever ranking of number 15 in the world in February 1996.

South Africa dropped to number 58 in the world and number 10 in Africa, with Angola the third-best COSAFA side at 19 in Africa and 83 on the global list. Botswana have taken a tumble from their best-ever ranking of 53 in December 2010 and are now 104 in the world and 25th in Africa.

COSAFA COUNTRY RANKINGS

Country / World / Africa
Zambia - 43 - 4
South Africa - 58 - 10
Angola - 83 - 19
Malawi - 98 - 22
Zimbabwe - 99 - 23
Mozambique - 102 - 24
Botswana - 104 - 25
Namibia - 120 - 32
Madagascar - 158 - 42
Lesotho - 161 - 43
Swaziland - 179 - 46
Comoros - 188 - 47
Seychelles - 189 - 48
Mauritius - 195 - 51

COSAFA nation Zambia outlasted Cote d’Ivoire 8-7 in a penalty dramatic shoot-out at the end of a thrilling final of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations to claim their first-ever continental title on Sunday night.

They become just the second country from the COSAFA region, after South Africa in 1996, to win Africa's biggest football prize.

The teams had been locked at 0-0 at the Stade d'Angondjé in Libreville at the end of a highly entertaining 120 minutes of football in which Ivorian talisman Didier Drogba missed a second half penalty that would have won the game for his side.

And so while Cote d’Ivoire contemplate another finals tournament that ends in bitter disappointment, unlikely heroes Zambia are left to celebrate joyously just kilometres from the scene of their greatest tragedy following the 1993 air crash which killed 18 members of the Chipolopolo national side off the coast of Gabon.

The final was an all-action affair that was surprisingly open as both teams created numerous opportunities and were adventurous in their attacking endeavour.

Zambia might have been ahead inside the first minute when a well-worked corner saw the ball fall to Nathan Sinkala, whose shot was saved by Boubacar Barry in the Ivorian goal.

The Southern African side were dealt a blow on 11 minutes when a tearful Joseph Musonda limped off injured from the left-back position to be replaced by youngster Nyambe Mulenga.

Yaya Toure should have put the Ivorians ahead midway through the first half when a great team move saw Drogba back-heel the ball into his path, but his shot was inches wide with Kennedy Mweene in the Zambian goal beaten.

Emmanuel Mayuka then found himself on acres of space from a corner, but completely missed his kick with no defender in sight and the chance was gone.

A clash of heads left Drogba looking dazed at the start of the second half, but he decided to carry on after being checked over by the medical staff. It is questionable whether that was the right decision though as he did not look the same player after the incident and he fluffed his lines when Cote d’Ivoire were handed the best chance of the game to score.

Isaac Chansa was adjudged to have fouled Gervinho inside the box, even though replays suggested the contact happened outside the area. But Drogba skied the penalty over the bar, his second miss of the tournament from 12 yards.

The game went into extra-time and it was Zambia who came closest to breaking the deadlock as Felix Katongo powered into the penalty-area and his cross found brother Chris, whose goal-bound shot was knocked onto the post and away to safety by Barry.

Max Gradel had two chances to win it for Cote d’Ivoire after that, but first shot wide and then missed the ball completely with the second effort.

The lottery of penalties would have to decide the winner and after the first 14 were successfully converted, suddenly there was major drama.

First Kolo Toure saw his weak effort saved by Mweene, but Rainford Kalaba, such a hero for Zambia in this tournament, could not win it for them when he kicked his spot-kick over the bar.

But the much maligned Gervinho, who looked unwilling to take a penalty, then put his shot wide of the goal and Stoppila Sunzu was able to make history for Zambia by converting his.

After finals disappointments in 1974 and 1994, Zambia finally are able to write their name among Africa’s elite.

COSAFA side Zambia have won through to the final of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations after beating Ghana 1-0 in Bata on Wednesday. Chipolopolo will be appearing in their first continental final since they lost the 1994 decider to Nigeria and few will argue that they do not deserve it for their thrilling play right through this tournament. Asamoah Gyan might have put Ghana ahead on seven minutes when he saw his spot-kick saved by Zambian goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene after Davies Nkausu had fouled Kwadwo Asamoah. Perhaps the best of the first half fell to Jordan Ayew, who found himself eight-yards out with not a defender in sight from brother Andre’s free-kick, but completely missed the ball when it seemed all he had to do was side-foot home. Zambia’s best chance of the half fell to Chris Katongo, who was played in on goal by Rainford Kalaba, but put his shot from 10-yards went wide with just Adam Kwarasey in the Ghana goal to beat. But Zambia were ahead when Emmanuel Mayuka collected the ball on the edge of the area and the Ghana defence stood off him long enough for him to pick his spot and curl a side-footed shot past a helpless Kwarasey to give Chipolopolo the lead.

The last COSAFA side to reach the final was South Africa in 1998, when they lost 2-0 to Egypt in Burkina Faso.

COSAFA side Zambia strode in the African Nations Cup semifinals with a one-sided 3-0 win over Sudan to book a last four place for the first time in 16 years. They now play Ghana in Wednesday’s semifinal as they stay in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. Goals from Stopilla Sunzu, Chris Katongo and James Chamaga ensured a comfortable win. It was also very clear early on that Zambia would do the attacking and Sudan look to counter attack, which had been their successful tactic in their last game against Burkina Faso on Monday. Rainford Kalaba almost put Emmanuel Mayuka in with an inviting pass after seven minutes and in the 14th minute another inviting ball saw the Swiss-based striker force a fine save from Sudan goalkeeper Akram El Hadi Salem. Then came the first goal from Sunzu, rising high at the near post and in front of the goalkeeper to head home Chisamba Lungu’s free kick. Saifeldin Ali Hidris was caught by the pace of Rainford Kalaba in the penalty area and tripped him, earning his second caution of the game and an early shower and leaving Sudan down to 10 men. Katongo took the penalty but it was well saved, only for the skipper to force the rebound home. Chamanga came on to score the third with a well taken curling shot four minutes from time.

COSAFA side Botswana have been ousted from the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations after a 2-1 loss to Mali on Wednesday night.

The Zebras had the slimmest of chances of reaching the latter stages, needing to win by nine goals and hope Ghana defeat Guinea in the other game. Neither of those happened, though coach Stanley Tshosane will be pleased with the improved performance of the side after their 6-1 loss to Guinea in the previous game. Mogakolodi Ngele had put the Zebras into the lead, but goals from Garra Dembele and Seydou Keita handed the Maliens the advantage.

So Botswana end their maiden Nations Cup showing without a win, but they will hope to build on strong performances against Ghana and Mali as they seek to return in South Africa in 2013.

COSAFA side Zambia sealed their place in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over co-hosts Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.

Chipolopolo finish top of their Group A and will likely play either regional rivals Angola or Sudan in the next round.

Chris Katongo scored for Zambia in a second successive game at the finals to seal the win. More importantly it means they now avoid a likely match-up with hot favorite Cote d’Ivoire in the weekend’s quarter-finals.

Katongo, who also scored in the 2-2 draw with Libya on Wednesday, broke the deadlock after 66 minutes in a game Chipolopolo largely dominated.

Meanwhile, Angola take on Cote d’Ivoire on Monday needing a point to seal their place in the quarterfinals.

They could still make it in defeat, if Sudan fail to take full points off Burkina Faso in their pool stage match.

Even if Sudan do win, they need to make up a two-goal inferior goal-difference on the Angolans.

COSAFA side Angola twice gave away the lead as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Sudan in their 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Group C encounter at the Nuevo Estadio de Malabo on Thursday.

Palancas Negras could have all but sealed their qualification for the quarterfinals with a win, but instead could have to get something from their final pool game against Cote d’Ivoire on Monday.

Former Manchester United striker Manucho was the hero for Angola, netting twice, while Sudan’s goals both came from Al-Hilal forward Mohamed Ahmed Bashir.

Earlier, Zambia were also held to a 2-2 draw by Libya in a sodden 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Group A clash in Bata. It was touch and go whether the match would be played at all with torrential rain leaving parts of the pitch under water. Credit to the two teams then that they did manage to put on an entertaining spectacle and produce a result that takes Zambia to the top of the pool, for a few hours at least.

Libya twice led after a brace of goals from Ahmed Sa’ad, but this Zambian side are made of stern stuff and twice they hit back as Emmanuel Mayuka and Chris Katongo got their goals.

And on Friday, Botswana will continue their Group D campaign when they take on Guinea in Franceville. The Zebras were unlucky to lose their opening match 1-0 against Ghana, one of the pre-tournament favourites.

COSAFA side Botswana fought bravely but went down 1-0 to Ghana in their 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Group D clash on Tuesday.

The Zebras were making their debut in the continental showpiece tournament and were unlucky not to get something out of the game.

Ghana skipper John Mensah scored the only goal on the game in the first half, but was then sent-off 25 minutes from time to leave the Black Stars to play out the remainder of the game with 10 men.

Try as they might, Botswana could not find an equalizer and they now look forward to their next match against Guinea on Saturday. "I'm not happy with the result, but with the performance especially in the second half," said coach Stanley Tshosane. “We were cautious at the beginning because we have never played Ghana before at this level and so we preferred to study how they play."

Meanwhile, Zambia are back in action on Wednesday after their opening round win over Senegal. This time they face Libya, where a win could secure a quarterfinal place if the Senegalese do not get full points from Equatorial Guinea later in the day.

It was a magnificent weekend for the COSAFA entries at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations with both Zambia and Angola winning their opening matches.

Zambia defeated Senegal 2-1 in easily the most impressive display of the tournament so far, with first-half goals from Emmanuel Mayuka and Rainford Kalaba giving them a 2-0 lead.

Senegal pulled a goal back in the second period through Dame N’Doye, but Chipolopolo held on for a vital three points in Group A.

Angola defeated Burkina Faso by the same scoreline on Sunday in another impressive display.

They took the lead through Mateus, only for the Burkinabe to equalise via Alain Traore, who curled in a wonderful free-kick. But Angola were not to be denied and Manucho fired in a brilliant winner in the second half to get their campaign off to the perfect start.

COSAFA’s third entrant, Botswana, get their Group D campaign underway with a meeting against the Black Stars of Ghana on Tuesday.

COSAFA nation Lesotho have lost the first leg of their 2013 Africa Cup of Nations first round qualifier 1-0 in São Tomé and Príncipe. The game on Sunday was won by a lone penalty-kick in the opening half for the hosts, who will now travel to Lesotho for the second leg on January 22. The winner of this tie will advance to the second round where they will play Sierra Leone over two legs in a bid to reach the next stage and ultimately the finals in South Africa. Lesotho will still be favourites to advance to the next stage after they beat Burundi in the qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in November, a massive result for the Mountain Kingdom. Sao Tome e Principe were hammered 6-1 on aggregate by Congo in the World Cup qualifiers, but did get a very credible 1-1 draw in Brazzaville. There will be 16 nations participating at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations finals, with South Africa automatically gaining entry as hosts. For the first time since 1990, all the qualifying matches will be played on a knockout basis without any group action because of the short time between the 2012 finals and 2013 competition. The 14 winners of the second round ties to be played in February and June will be joined by 16 finalists from the 2012 African Nations Cup finals – Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Gabon, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia and Zambia. They will go into a draw for a third, and last, round of 15 matches and the winners of those ties, to be played over two legs home and away, will qualify for the finals in South Africa. The seven countries who have not entered the 2013 Nations Cup qualifiers are the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Eritrea, Mauritania, Mauritius, Swaziland and Somalia.

COSAFA country Angola completed their programme of pre-African Nations Cup friendlies with a morale-boosting goalless draw away against Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday.

Angola drew at home with Cameroon and Namibia and beat Zambia in December friendlies to end their sequence of matches unbeaten.

It was Nigeria’s first match under coach Stephen Keshi, forced to pick a side devoid of any of the country’s multitude of foreign-based players. The game was also played behind closed doors because of security fears around recent protests in the capital over fuel subsidies

Angola play in Group B at the Nations Cup against Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast and Sudan. The tournament starts next weekend.

Nigeria were among the heavyweight casualties who failed to qualify for the 2012 finals.

Zambia coach Herve Renard has named his final 23-man selection for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations to be played in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Chipolopolo will compete in Group A of the 16-team tournament, along with co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Senegal, and will be looking to repeat at least their quarterfinal showing at the 2010 event in Angola. There was good news for Renard in the return to fitness of key striker James Chamanga, who has been included, but there is no place defender Thomas Nyirenda, midfielder Justine Zulu and striker Given Singuluma, who were dropped from the 26-man preliminary squad that has camped in South Africa.

ZAMBIA SQUAD:

Goalkeepers: Kalililo Kakonje (unattached), Kennedy Mweene (Free State Stars, South Africa), Joshua Titima (Power Dynamos).

Defenders: Kampamba Chintu (Bidvest Wits, South Africa), Hichani Himonde, Francis Kasonde (both TP Mazembe Englebert, DR Congo), Nyambe Mulenga (Zesco United), Joseph Musonda (Lamontville Golden Arrows, South Africa), Davies Nkausu (SuperSport United, South Africa), Stopilla Sunzu (TP Mazembe Englebert, DR Congo).

Midfielders: Isaac Chansa (Orlando Pirates, South Africa), Noah Chivuta (Free State Stars, South Africa), Rainford Kalaba (TP Mazembe Englebert, DR Congo), Chris Katongo (Henan Construction, China), Felix Katongo (unattached), Chisamba Lungu (Ural Povolzhye, Russia), Clifford Mulenga (Bloemfontein Celtic, South Africa), Nathan Sinkala (Green Buffaloes).

Forwards: James Chamanga (Dalian Shidem China), Evans Kangwa (Nkana FC), Emmanuel Mayuka (Young Boys Berne, Switzerland), Jonas Sakuwaha (Al Merreikh, Sudan), Collins Mbesuma (Lamontville Golden Arrows, South Africa).

Botswana have named their final 23-man selection for the 2012 Acfrica Cup of Nations to be held in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon later this month.

The Zebras will be appearing in their first-ever continental showpiece tournament and open their Group D campaign with a meeting against the Black Stars of Ghana on January 24.

Thereafter they take on Guinea on January 28 and Mali on February 1, but which time they will have hoped to have sealed a quarterfinal berth.

Coach Stanley Tshosane had named a preliminary squad of 26 some weeks ago and has had the player in camp since the middle of December.

BDF XI striker Mokgathi Mokgathi, and Township Rollers' midfielders Abednico Powell and Sekhana Koko are the unlucky three to miss out on selection for the finals.

BOTSWANA SQUAD:

Goalkeepers: Modiri Marumo (Bay United/SA), Noah Maposa (Gaborone United), Kabelo Dambe (Township Rollers).

Defenders: Mompati Thuma (BDF XI), Mosimanegape Ramohibidu (BMC), Tshepo Motlhabankwe (Mochudi Centre Chiefs), Mmusa Ohilwe (Gaborone United), Monametsi Kelebale (Nico United), Ndiyapo Letsholathebe (Police XI).

Midfielders: Patrick Motsepe (BDF XI), Dipsy Selolwane (SuperSport United/SA), Othusitse Pilane (Mochudi Centre Chiefs), Pontsho Moloi (Mochudi Centre Chiefs), Joel Mogorosi (Mochudi Centre Chiefs), Mogogi Gabonamong (SuperSport/SA), Boitumelo Mafoko (Santos/SA), Ofentse Nato (Gaborone United), Phenyo Mongala (Bloemfontein Celtic/SA).

Forwards: Moemedi Moatlhaping (Bay United/SA), Lemponye Tshireletso (BDF XI), Onalethata Tshekiso (Township Rollers), Mogakolodi Ngele (Township Rollers), Jerome Ramatlhakwana (unattached)

Angola coach Lito Vidigal has named a preliminary squad of 26 for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, calling up a number of new faces. Vidigal has named newcomers Jaime, Bastos and Manucho Barros in his squad for the competition, which sees the Angolans in Group B along with Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and Sudan. Jaime, who plays for Progresso Luanda club, and Bastos (Petro Atletico) are both central defenders, while Manucho Barros from InterClube is a striker.

The coach will cut three teams from the roster ahead of the tournament, which gets under way on January 21, suggesting that the players who ply their trade outside of Angola are most at risk. Brazil-based Geraldo has not been included in the squad, with Vidigal suggesting that his failure to honour previous call-ups had counted against him. "The most important is to speak of those summoned, but Geraldo is an athlete with quality and has much to do for national team if he so wished.

I summoned him several times but he failed to turn up without justification,” the coach said. Meanwhile, Angola will play Nigeria in Lagos in a friendly international on January 12.

The Angola squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Carlos (unattached), Wilson (Primeiro de Agosto), Hugo (Kubuscorp),

Defenders: Kali (Primeiro de Agosto), Marco Airosa (AEL Limassol, Cyprus), Amaro (Primeiro de Agosto), Zuela (Atromitos, Greece), Dani Massunguna (Primeiro de Agosto), Mingo Bille (Primeiro de Agosto), Bastos (Petro Atletico), Jaime (Progresso Luanda)

Midfielders: Gilberto (Lierse, Belgium), André Makanga (Al-Jahra, Kuwait), Miguel (Petro Atletico), Dedé (AEL Limassol, Cyprus), Mabiná (Petro Atletico), Chara (Petro Atletico), Osório (Caala)

Forwards: Love Cabungula (Petro Atletico), Flávio (Lierse, Belgium), Manucho Gonçalves (Real Valladolid, Spain), Mateus Galiano (Nacional, Portugal), Djalma (FC Porto, Portugal), Vunguidica (Preußen Münster, Germany), Manucho Barros (InterClube), Nando Rafael (Augsburg)

Swaziland have withdrawn from the 2013 African Nations Cup, just a week before the preliminaries are due to get underway, the country’s football association has confirmed.

Swaziland were due to meet fellow Cosafa members Seychelles in a two-legged first round tie over the next fortnight but have pulled out because of financial constraints, officials said. The qualifying competition for next year’s Nations Cup starts less than two weeks before the 2012 finals, which are being played in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon from Jan. 21-Feb. 14.

From next year, the African championships, held every two years, reverts from every even year to every odd year to avoid future clashes with World Cup years. The 2013 finals have been awarded to South Africa, 2015 to Morocco and 2017 to Libya. The qualifiers for the 2013 tournament will played on a knockout basis over three rounds between January and October. With the Swaziland-Seychelles tie now called off, the only first round game is that between Lesotho and Sao Tome e Principe.

They meet in the first leg in Sao Tome on Jan. 8 and play the return tie in Maseru on Jan. 15. Seychelles advance to the second round to meet the Democratic Republic of Congo over two legs in March.

Zambia have given up hope Dutch-based striker Jacob Mulenga will recover in time from injury and left him out of their preliminary squad named for next month’s African Nations Cup finals. Mulenga suffered a knee injury in action for FC Utrecht in October but Zambia were hoping he would return after surgery to play for the country at the tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, which starts on Jan. 21.

But coach Herve Renard has confirmed Mulenga’s recovery will take longer than expected and that he misses the Nations Cup for a second successive time.

Sudanese based striker Jonas Sakuwaha is recalled to the squad, which will be cut from 28 to 23 on Jan. 10, officials said.

Zambia began preparations in Johannesburg on Wednesday and play one warm-up international against South Africa in Pretoria on Jan. 11.

At the Nations Cup, Zambia compete in Group A along with co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Senegal.

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Kalililo Kakonje (unattached), Kennedy Mweene (Free State Stars, South Africa), Joshua Titima (Power Dynamos)

Defenders: Kampamba Chintu (Bidvest Wits, South Africa), Hichani Himonde, Francis Kasonde (both TP Mazembe Englebert, DR Congo), Nyambe Mulenga (Zesco United), Joseph Musonda (Lamontville Golden Arrows, South Africa), Davies Nkausu (SuperSport United, South Africa), Thomas Nyirenda (Konkola Blades), Stopilla Sunzu (TP Mazembe Englebert, DR Congo)

Midfielders: Isaac Chansa (Orlando Pirates, South Africa), Noah Chivuta (Free State Stars, South Africa), Rainford Kalaba (TP Mazembe Englebert, DR Congo), Chris Katongo (Henan Construction, China), Felix Katongo (Green Buffaloes), Chisamba Lungu (Ural Povolzhye, Russia), Clifford Mulenga (Bloemfontein Celtic, South Africa), William Njobvu (Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona, Israel), Nathan Sinkala (Green Buffaloes), Justine Zulu (Ironi Rishon LeZion, Israel)

Forwards: James Chamanga (Dalian Shide, China), Evans Kangwa (Nkana FC), Rodger Kola (Ashdod, Israel), Emmanuel Mayuka (Young Boys Berne, Switzerland), Jonas Sakuwaha (Al Merreikh, Sudan), Given Singuluma (TP Mazembe Englebert, DR Congo), Collins Mbesuma (Lamontville Golden Arrows, South Africa)

Botswana and Angola were involved in warm-up matches for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations over the last week.

Botswana defeated fellow COSAFA side Lesotho 3-0 with Jerome Ramatlhakwane (two) and Pontsho Moloi on the scoresheet for the Zebras.

Angola were held to a 0-0 draw by Namibia in their friendly game played in Lubango.

Palancas Negras have, meanwhile, cancelled a planned training camp in Brazil ahead of the Nations Cup tournament and will remain in the northern Cabinda Province, where the climate is similar to that of Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, the city in which Angola will play their group matches.

Angola are up against Sudan, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire in the first round, while Botswana face Ghana, Mali and Guinea.

Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane has announced a 30-man squad to play three international friendly matches between January 5 and 15. There are six new faces in the squad – Rudiger Gilbert and Mzikayise Mashaba, both of Free State Stars; Patrick Phungwayo and Ryan Chapman, both from Bidvest Wits; Themba Zwane of Mamelodi Sundowns and May Mahlangu, who plays in Sweden. Mahlangu is one of five overseas-based players in the squad.

The others are Siboniso Gaxa, Anele Ngcongca, Daylon Claasen who all play in Belgium, as well as Turkey-based Bradley Grobler. Daine Klate of Orlando Pirates makes a return after a long absence, as does Nazeer Allie of Ajax Cape Town. Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune was not considered because he is still recovering from injury. "I have invited some players so I can have a closer look at them.

I also want to reward those who did well this year,” Mosimane says. “For us this is the start of preparations for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations tournament which we will host. This is a training camp for us where we will be trying various combinations. "Unfortunately we won't have some of the overseas-based players but again it's a blessing in disguise in that we will be able to see more players. I am positive the three upcoming matches will help in that regard." First up is Equatorial Guinea, and the match will take place in the capital Malabo on Thursday, January 5 to mark the opening of one of the match venues for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations tournament. The second clash is against Zambia on Wednesday, January 11 at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville, Tshwane. Kick-off is at 20h00.

In the third friendly international South Africa will lock horns with Ghana on Sunday, January 15 at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Phokeng, just outside Rustenburg.

The match will kickoff at 15h15.

The Bafana Bafana squad:

Goalkeepers: Moeneeb Josephs (Orlando Pirates), Wayne Sandilands (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Right-backs: Siboniso Gaxa (Lierse SK, Belgium), Rudiger Gilbert (Free State Stars), Anele Ngcongca (Racing Genk, Belgium)
Centre-backs: Nazeer Allie (Ajax Cape Town), Musa Bilankulu (Lamontville Golden Arrows), Morgan Gould (SuperSport United), Mulomowandau Mathoho (Bloemfontein Celtic), Siyabonga Sangweni (Orlando Pirates)
Left-backs: Punch Masenamela (Mamelodi Sundowns), Patrick Phungwayo (Bidvest Wits)

Central midfielders: Andile Jali, Oupa Manyisa (both Orlando Pirates), Thanduyise Khuboni (Lamontville Golden Arrows), George Maluleka, Granwald Scott (both Ajax Cape Town)
Attacking midfielders: Daylon Claasen (Lierse SK, Belgium), Daine Klate (Orlando Pirates), Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Siphiwe Tshabalala (both Kaizer Chiefs), May Mahlangu (Helsingborgs IF, Sweden), Mzikayise Mashaba (Free State Stars), Teko Modise, Themba Zwane (both Mamelodi Sundowns)
Strikers: Ryan Chapman (Bidvest Wits), Bradley Grobler (Goztepe SK, Turkey), Lehlohonolo Majoro (Kaizer Chiefs), Katlego Mphela (Mamelodi Sundowns), Siyabonga Nontshinga (Jomo Cosmos)

South Africa remain the top-ranked COSAFA country in the latest FIFA World Rankings released on Wednesday.

Bafana Bafana move up one place to number 52 in the world and eighth on the African continent.

They are ahead of 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers Zambia (79th in the world, 17th in Africa) and Angola (83rd and 19th).

Malawi (94th and 21st) are in fourth, while Botswana (95th and 22nd) continue their slide down the rankings from their 2011 high of 54th on the global list in January.

COSAFA COUNTRY RANKINGS Country World Africa

Angola defeated Zambia 1-0 in an international friendly played at the Estádio Sagrada Esperança in Dundo on Sunday.

The match between the COSAFA nations was used as a warm-up by both for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The only goal of the game was scored by Angolan forward Love just before the hour-mark as he headed home a corner. Angola now look forward to another friendly international against neighbours Namibia on Thursday, while Zambia take on South Africa on January 11.

Zambia have been drawn in Group A at the 2012 Nations Cup along with co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, Senegal and Libya, while Angola are up against Sudan, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire.

Angola and Cameroon have played to a 1-1 draw in their friendly international match played in Cabinda on Wednesday.

Love Cabungula put 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finalists Angola, but Joseph Momasso equalised for the visitors to secure a draw.

The Angolans were using the match as preparation for their Nations Cup campaign, where they have been drawn in Group B along with Cote d'Ivoire, Sudan and Burkina Faso. They start their campaign against the Burkinabe on January 22.

They will now go on to play a friendly against fellow finalists Zambia on December 18, before a meeting with neighbours Namibia on December 22.

Angola will be busy over the next week or so as they play three friendly matches in preparation for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

The Palancas Negras face Cameroon on Wednesday evening in Cabinda, with the Indomitable Lions in the unusual situation of having not qualified for the continental showpiece.

Angola will then host fellow qualifiers Zambia in Luanda on Sunday, before they meet another COSAFA nation, neighbours Namibia, in Lubango next Thursday.

Angola have been drawn in Group B at the Nations Cup along with Cote d'Ivoire, Sudan and Burkina Faso. They start their campaign against the Burkinabe on January 22.

COSAFA president Suketu Patel will remain in office for the next five years after he was elected unopposed at the organisation’s 2011 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday.

SAFA vice-president Danny Jordaan did initially decide to stand against Patel, but withdrew his candidacy before voting commenced.

It means Patel, also a CAF vice-president, will be able to continue his work towards developing the sport in the region and reviving the COSAFA Senior Challenge competition that has not been played since 2009.

Meanwhile, COSAFA vice-president Salemane Phafane from Lesotho stood unopposed for re-election to his role.

David Fani (Botswana), Walter Nyamilandu Manda (Malawi), John Muinjo (Namibia), Timothy Shongwe (Swaziland) and Faizel Sidaet (Mozambique) were elected to the positions on the COSAFA executive.

Fani is the only new recruit, having taken over from Zimbabawe’s Wellington Nyatanga.

Japan Actuel’s FC have won the Malagasy championship for the first time and will play in the African Champions League next year.

The team from Manjakaray, coached by Abdou Bin Amidou, won all three games in the mini-championship at the end of the season, competing their triumph with a 2-0 win over ASJF Capricorne.

Freddy Solofonirina scored the second half goals to make sure of the title at Antananarivo’s Mahamasina Municipal Stadium.

Academie Ny Antsike and CNaPS Sports were the other two teams that played in the tournament over the last week.

CNaPS Sports were cup winners one week ago but are now refusing to play the Super Cup match against the new champions next week because of sponsorship dispute with the Malagasy Football Federation.

Botswana are to prepare for the African Nations Cup finals with a training camp in Cameroon from January 10-20, reports said.

The team will be based in Douala, where they will have experience of conditions similar to those they will encounter in Gabon, where they will play their games and which borders onto Cameroon. Botswana will depart after a friendly match against Zimbabwe in Gaborone, which has been set for January 7.

Botswana open their Nations Cup campaign on January 24 against Ghana in Franceville. They play Guinea at the same venue on January 28 and conclude in Libreville against Mali on February 1.

Angola have fixed three internationals before the end of the year as they begin preparations for the upcoming African Nations Cup finals. Palancas Negras will meet neighbours the Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia and Zambia before Christmas.

The preliminary squad, which coach Lito Vidigal is expected to name on Wednesday, will report for a 20-day camp on December 1. They play on December 14 against the Congolese in Cabinda, where the majority of the camp is being hosted at the Chiazi Stadium.

They then take on Zambia in Dundo on December 18 and Namibia in Lubango on December 22. The Angolan federation is still to finalise plans for preparations in the fortnight leading up to the start of the 2012 Nations Cup, where Palancas Negras take on Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and Sudan.

CNaPS Sports won the Coupe de Madagascar at the weekend and in so doing earned themselves a berth in next year’s African Confederation Cup.

The club from Itasy, who were league champions on the Indian Ocean Island last year, edged past Tana Formation on post match penalties. The game ended 1-1 after extra time tie before CnaPS Sports won 5-4 on post match kicks. Tana Formation had also need a penalty to score during the match, taking a 38th minute lead through Lanto.

The equaliser came in the 60th minute through CNaPS midfield Damien Mahavony. On Wednesday, CNaPS begin the Champions League in Madagascar, which will determine the league champion.

Dynamos were crowned Zimbabwe Premier League champions on Sunday after they beat already relegated Kiglon 2-0.

The result means Dynamos claim the championship on goal-difference from FC Platinum, who also won their final game of the campaign, defeating another relegated side, Shooting Stars, 3-1. Dynamos finished with 58 points from their 30 games and a goal-difference of +27, while FC Platinum had the same number of points, but a goal-difference of only +23. FC Platinum were left to rue their 1-0 loss to Dynamos in their penultimate match of the season on November 13 after having led for much of the campaign.

It is a 13th League title for Dynamos, the last of which came in the 2007 season, after having finished as runners-up as well between 2008 and 2010.

Namibia sealed their place in the group stages of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Djibouti on Tuesday. The result completed an 8-0 aggregate win after the Brave Warriors triumphed by the same scoreline in Djibouti last Friday and sees the Namibians placed in qualification Group F along with Nigeria, Malawi and Kenya.

The home side were ahead on 17 minutes when Heinrich Isaaks scored to follow up his goal in the first leg, before Lazarus Kaimbi added a second as the Namibians took complete control of the tie. It was 3-0 on the hour-mark as Kaimbi got his second, before youngster Sydney Urikhob put the icing on the cake with a late fourth.

Mozambique have eased into the group stages of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with a 4-1 victory over fellow COSAFA side Comoros on Tuesday night. The Mambas held a slender 1-0 lead from the first leg on Friday, but were dominant in the return to complete a 5-1 aggregate win. It took until midway through the first half for them to open the scoring though as Mamelodi Sundowns winger Elias Pelembe netted to settle the home nerves.

It was 2-0 just before halftime when Jeremias Sitoe scored, and the game was as good as over as a contest as midfielder Whiskey added a third. Comoros came back into the game briefly when Mohamed Youssouf made the score 3-1, but Clesio Baque put to rest any thoughts of a comeback when he netted a fourth for the home side.

Mozambique will now go into Group G of the qualifiers along with Egypt, Guinea and Zimbabwe.

Brothers Kalu and Ike Uche scored on either side of half-time to hand Nigeria a flattering 2-0 win over Zambia in their friendly international in Kaduna on Tuesday. Kalu Uche opened the scoring just nine minutes after a deflected shot off the wall as Zambia’s defence blocked a Taye Taiwo free kick Ike Uche came on as an early substitute for injured striker Fegor Ogude after 27 minutes but took until the last minute to score his goal with a shot from outside the penalty area.

In between, Zambia dominated the encounter but failed to set up any real scoring chances. It was the first match back in charge of Zambia for Frenchman Herve Renard, appointed to the coaching post after the country’s qualification to the 2012 African Nations Cup finals. Nigeria were playing their second game under new coach Stephen Keshi, whose debut on Saturday was a disappointing 0-0 home draw with minnows Botswana in Benin City. Nigeria did not qualify for next year’s Nations Cup.

Kenya defeated Seychelles in the World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday, adding four goals in the second leg in Nairobi to the three they scored in Friday’s first leg. The Harambee Stars advance to the next phase with a 7-0 aggregate triumph and will now face Malawi, Nigeria and the winner of the tie between Namibia and Djibouti in the group phase starting in June.

With a handy 3-0 advantage from the first leg in the Seychelles, Kenya were expected to field a second string outfit but opted to keep several key players in place for the return at the Nyayo National Stadium. Brian Mandela broke through the Pirates defence after 20 minutes and Dennis Oliech followed up with a second goal just before the interval.

Straight after the break Titua Malama made it 3-0 to the Kenyans who then added a fourth from Victor Wanyama in the 76th minute. It was a convincing return to the helm for coach Francis Kimanzi in his second spell in charge of the national side.

Two late goals were not enough to save Madagascar from elimination from the 2014 World Cup qualifiers as they went out at the hands of Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday.

Madagascar won Tuesday’s second leg 2-1 but lost 2-0 away in the first leg on Friday where the home side converted two penalties. The Malagasy put themselves in further bother when they conceded a first half goal to Donvalla Elongue, who opened the scoring in the 26th minute to put Equatorial Guinea 3-0 ahead on aggregate. It meant the Malagasy needed to score four time to go through but could only manage two in the last 20 minutes.

Yvan Rakotonomenjanahary got the home side’s first goal at the Mahamasina Municipal Stadium in the 70th minute and there was the dignity of home victory secured when Ferdinand Ramanamahefa scored in stoppage time at the end of the game. But it is the co-hosts of the 2012 African Nations Cup finals who advance to the group phase to play the Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone and Tunisia.

Lesotho have caused a surprise after they won through to the group stages of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers at the expense of the more fancied Burundi. The tiny Southern African nation went into Tuesday’s away tie 1-0 up from the first leg on Friday, and despite a 2-1 loss in Bujumbura, advance on the away goals rule.

Bokang Mothoana gave Lesotho the lead midway through the first half of the match on Tuesday, which left the Burundians needing to score three times in order to advance. Almost immediately though, Burundi pulled a goal back through Cedric Amissi and laid siege to the Lesotho goal. That was the way it stayed until the 88th minute when the home side were awarded a penalty, which was duly converted by Yamin Ndikumana.

Try as they might though, they could not force a third goal and Lesotho were left to celebrate an excellent victory. Lesotho will now go into Group D in the next stage of the qualifiers along with Ghana, Zambia and Sudan.

African Nations Cup finals co-hosts Equatorial Guinea squeezed out an 2-0 win over visiting Madagascar in their World Cup first round, first leg qualifier in Malabo on Friday. Both goals came from the penalty spot, the second right on the stroke on the full time.

The Nzalang Nacional, who play in the Nations Cup opener in January, showed little evidence that will be a force to be reckoned with at the tournament they are co-hosting with Gabon. But they will be pleased with a two goal advantage to take to the second leg on Tuesday, Juvenal Edjogo scored the game’s first goal by converting a penalty midway through the first half at the newly built stadium in the capital, which will be one of the four venues for the Nations Cup. The 23rd minute goal from the 32-year-old Spanish-born striker was followed by a second spot kick in the 90th minute.

It was the first game since coach Henri Michel’s brief walk out in a row over the use of foreign versus home-based players in his team. Goal scorer Edjogo has been critical in the past of the use of Equatorial Guinea of mercenary players from other countries to reinforce their team. Malagasy coach Franck Rajaonarisambia will now have his work cut out if his side are to overcome the deficit in the return match at the Stade Municipal Mahamasina.

The winner of the tie advances to Group B along the Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone and Tunisia.

Kenya left it late but two goals in the last quarter ensured a comfortable 3-0 win away over the Seychelles to ensure their probable progress to the group phase of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

It took until just four minutes before half-time for Kenya to open the scoring through defender Pascal Ochieng. Substitute Kevin Kimani came off the bench to make it 2-0 just four minutes after he had come for Ulinzi Stars striker Stephen Waruru in the 71st minute.

Captain Denis Oliech ensured a handsome lead with the third goal in the 81st minute. Kenya now host the Pirates in Nairobi on Tuesday in the second leg.

The Seychelles had been hoping to capitalise on the confidence that their recent win in the Indian Ocean Island games had delivered but did not prove the case at the Stade Linite in Roche Caiman.

A penalty from wing back Miro ensured a new-look Mozambique a winning start to their World Cup qualifying campaign as they beat fellow COSAFA members Comoros Islands 1-0 away on Friday.

Miro put away a 56th minute penalty at Mitsamiouli to ensure a lead going into the second leg in Maputo on Tuesday. It was the second meeting in a month between the two countries, who also shared the same 2012 African Nations Cup qualifying group.

Mozambique won both those matches against the Coelacanthes but their team for Friday’s game at the Stade Said Mohamed Cheikh was much changed and under a new coach, the German Gerd Engels. Comoros gave a debut for Mayotte-born Ben Hamidi Ybnou Charaf, a youth footballer at Perpignan in France, but took him off on the hour mark.

Rudolph Bester got the first goal of Africa’s 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign and then added a second as Namibia easily beat Djibouti 4-0 away on Friday in their first round, first leg tie.

Bester, based with South African league champions Orlando Pirates, took just 13 minutes to get the first goal of the game and the first by any of the 52 African entrants in the preliminaries Namibia added three goals after the break with Lazarus Kaimbi, Heinrich Isaacks and Bester again scoring at the Stade El Hadj Hassan Gouled. For Thailand-based Kaimbi it marked a successful return to the side after a two year break.

It was also the first win for new coach Bernard Kaanjuka, whose debut in charge was a home drew with Lesotho last week as the Brave Warriors finalised their preparations for the World Cup campaign.

Angola hammered Portuguese club side Sporting Lisbon 4-0 in a friendly match to mark the country’s 36th anniversary of independence at Luanda’s November 11 Stadium on Thursday. The match kicked off the preparations for the Palancas Negras ahead of their appearance at the upcoming African Nations Cup finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Veteran striker Flavio scored after 13 minutes to put Angola ahead and Miguel doubled the score five minutes before half-time.

Two more goals were added in the last quarter-hour from Osorio and Dede, who both came on as second half substitutes.

Angola have been drawn in Group B at the Nations Cup along with Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and Sudan.

Zimbabwe have dropped captain Method Mwanjali from their squad for next Tuesday’s international against South Africa but have still called up 14 foreign-based players to their 20-man squad.

The squad for the match in Harare is made up of 11 players from South Africa’s premier league and three from European clubs plus six home-based footballers. Mwanjali's axing comes after he was blamed for errors which cost Zimbabwe in the 2-1 away defeat by the Cape Verde Islands in the African Nations Cup qualifiers last month.

Midfielder Ramson Zhuwawo and left back Zhaimu Jambo are recalled to the squad.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Washington Arubi (Dynamos), Tapuwa Kapini (AmaZulu, South Africa)

Defenders: Zhaimu Jambo (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa), Tapiwa Khumbuyani (CAPS United), Gilbert Mapemba (Moroka Swallows, South Africa), Vusa Nyoni (Germinal Beerschot, Belgium), Thomas Sweswe (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa), Daniel Veremu (Platinum FC), Lincoln Zvasiya (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa)

Midfielders: Khama Billiat (Ajax Cape Town, South Africa), Archieford Gutu (Dynamos), Ovidy Karuru (US Boulogne-sur-Mer, France), Willard Katsande (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa), Denver Mukamba (Dynamos), Tinashe Nengomasha (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa), Tafadzwa Rusike (Ajax Cape Town, South Africa) Ramson Zhuwawo (AmaZulu, South Africa)

Strikers: Cuthbert Malajila (Dynamos), Nyasha Mushekwi (Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa), Knowledge Musona (TSG Hoffenheim, Germany).

Liga Muculmana successfully defended their league title in Mozambique in spectacular fashion with an 8-2 thumping of bottom-placed Sporting Beira. The victory took the club to 58 points and out of the reach of second placed Maxaquene, who also won in emphatic style by beating Chingale 5-0.

Relegation is confirmed for Atletico Muculmano and Sporting but former champions Matchedje can still secure their status with a win next week. Muculmana made a strong statement as they celebrated the MocamBola title again but their win was made easier when Sporting’s midfielder Caesar got sent off early. Telinho and Mauricio got two goals each and central defenders Aguiar and Dario Khan also made sure they got in on the act.

Sporting’s goals came just half-time from a Henriques penalty and Clemente’s last minute counter-attack The demise of Matchedje has been dominating the sports pages in Maputo as the army club await their fate on the final weekend of the season. They are three points behind Incomati and finish their season with a tough game against Costa Do Sol, albeit at home. Incomati are away at Vilankulo in their final fixture.

The South African Under-20 side will assemble for a 10-day training camp from November 4-13 as they prepare for the 2011 Metropolitan COSAFA Under-20 Youth Championships to be held in Botswana from December 1-10. The training camp will be held at the High Performance Centre situated at the University of Potchefstroom in the North West province. The ‘Amajita’ squad will be guided by coach Solly Luvhengo as they as they prepare for regional championships.

Luvhengo has called up 40 players into camp, which he will use to select the squad that will represent South Africa at the Championships. The first three days of camp will be used as trials, because only 22 players are needed for the event, and the final cut will be made on Sunday, November 6. The coach says he has worked with the bulk of the players in camp, some in the Under-17 national team, while others were part of the Under-12 national team that went to the World Cup in France in 2003. “The Under-20 squad is going into one of the biggest development tournaments in Southern Africa. This is where the team can prove its worth being seeing that we have been grouped with two-time reigning championships, Zambia. “My only concern at the moment is that some players may not be available as they will be writing exams, but that is also good in a way, in that education comes first and I am happy these boys are aware. So we will make the most with what we get,” said Luvhengo. Other than Zambia, South Africa has been drawn in Group C along with Mauritius and East African guests Tanzania.

The other competing nations at the tournament are hosts Botswana, Angola, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. “We don’t want to undermine any of the opponents we have been grouped with, but I believe we will progress beyond the group stages and fight towards the finals of the tournament. We hope to finalise a friendly match ahead of the tournament so as to get the feel of what to expect in Botswana,” added Luvhengo.

St Michel United have retained the league title in the Seychelles, concluding their campaign with a 4-2 win over Anse Reunion.

Victory came despite the squad attending the funeral of the mother of team member Francis Nourrice in the morning before the game and then the match starting late because of a clash of jerseys. St Michel finished three points clear of second placed La Passe. The champions garnered 43 points from their 18 matches. Cote d’Or were third 10 points behind the leaders.

St Michel have now won 10 titles, three behind the record of St Louis. La Passe were runners-up for a second successive year after wining the title in 2009.

A total of 46 countries have entered for the 2013 African Nations Cup finals, where COSAFA nation South Africa are automatically in the finals field as hosts. Qualifying for the event will start early next year, although the dates for the fixtures are yet to be set by the Confederation of African Football, and there will be three separate rounds to determine the 15 teams to join Bafana Bafana in the finals a little over a year from now.

For the first time since 1990, all the qualifying matches will be played on a knockout basis without any group action because of the short time between the 2012 finals and 2013 competition. CAF are switching the hosting of the Nations Cup from every even year to every odd year and have to sandwich the 2013 qualifiers into a period of just six months. There will be two ties played in the first round of the preliminaries followed by a further 14 in the second round.

Then, the 14 winners of the second round ties will be joined by 16 finalists from the 2012 African Nations Cup finals – Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Gabon, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia and Zambia. They will go into a draw for a third, and last, round of 15 matches and the winners of those ties, to be played over two legs home and away, will qualify for the finals in South Africa.

The six countries who have not entered the 2013 Nations Cup qualifiers are the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Eritrea, Mauritania, Mauritius and Somalia. There were a total of 51 entries out of a possible 52 for the African qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil. Those qualifiers get underway later this month. The only country that did not enter was Mauritania, who said their team was not good enough.

First Round

• Seychelles v Swaziland
• Sao Tome e Principe v Lesotho

• Ethiopia v Benin
• Rwanda v Nigeria
• Congo v Uganda
• Burundi v Zimbabwe
• Algeria v Gambia
• Kenya v Togo Winner Sao Tome e Principe or Lesotho v Sierra Leone
• Guinea Bissau v Cameroon
• Chad v Malawi
• Winner Seychelles or Swaziland v DR Congo
• Tanzania v Mozambique
• Central African Republic v Egypt
• Madagascar v Cape Verde Islands
• Liberia v Namibia

COSAFA nation Mauritius have withdrawn from qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and will also not compete in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The island nation were due to face Liberia in a two-legged preliminary round clash in November, but the Liberians will now be given a bye through to the group stages, where they will join Senegal, Uganda and Angola.

The Mauritians have competed in every qualifiers but one since 1982. They missed the 1990 qualifiers because of debts owed to FIFA, who barred them from entering. The only other African country not to compete in the World Cup qualifying is Mauritania, while other sides who will not compete in the 2013 Nations Cup qualifiers are fellow COSAFA side Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Eritrea, Mauritania and Somalia.

Angola’s InterClube came within seconds of a place in the African Confederation Cup finals but lost to a stoppage time goal on Sunday night that ensured instead Maghreb Fes of Morocco go through to the final of this year’s Confederation Cup.

The goal from Chemseddine Chtebi ensured Fes won the semifinal return leg 1-0 to qualify for the final against Club Africain of Tunisia on the away goal rule, having lost the first clash 2-1 in Luanda.

Chtebi, who missed the first leg in Angola through suspension, finally broke a resolute defence five minutes into stoppage time.

The midfielder controlled a square pass from the left before he blasted from 25 yards into the top right corner of the net to spark off a wild victory party.

The four-time Moroccan champions pressed for the all-important goal from the first whistle, but to their credit, Inter Clube did not sit back in their defence as they also attacked their hosts.

Botswana national team coach Stanley Tshosane was in South Africa last week to visit his star players in the country ahead of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Tshosane and assistant coach Kenneth Mogae toured the country as they made contact with their leading players, all of who will be vital to their chances of success at their maiden continental finals in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon next year.

Botswana have six national team players currently plying their trade in South Africa – Magogi Gabonamong and Dipsy Selolwane at SuperSport United, Phenyo Mongala at Bloemfontein Celtic, Boitumelo Mafoko at Santos and Modiri Marumo from First Division Bay United, and the unattached Jerome Ramatlhakwane. Gabonamong, Selolwane and Ramatlhakwane will be particularly crucial to the cause, having played a central role in helping Botswana qualify for their first-ever finals.

SAFA have appointed experienced junior coach Solly Luvhengo to lead the national Under-20 side to the 2011 Metropolitan COSAFA Under-20 Youth Championships to be held in Botswana from December 1-10. Luvhengo has previously coached the men’s national Under-17 side, and also led the women’s Under-17 team, Abantwana, to the 2010 FIFA Women’s Under-17 World Cup held in Trinidad & Tobado last year.

His exploits with both those sides earned him the SAFA Coach of the Year prize in 2010 and he has now been tasked with reviving the men’s Under-20 team after what has been a disappointing 18 months for the side. Their loss to Lesotho in the qualifiers for the 2011 African Youth Championships was a blow, but they competed anyway after South Africa was awarded the hosting of the event when Libya withdrew. Khabo Zondo was in charge for the qualification failure, as well as a first round exit at the 2010 Metropolitan COSAFA Under-20 Youth Championships after losses to Lesotho and Namibia.

Maqsood Chenia then took the team to the African Youth Championships, but they also went out in the group stages, and so Luvhengo becomes the third coach in under a year for the beleaguered Amajita. Luvhengo’s CV also includes a stint with National First Division side Winners Park which lasted just four months between August 2009 and January 2010.

Namibia will take on Lesotho in a friendly international to be played in Windhoek on October 31. The match will be a warm-up for the COSAFA nations ahead of their 2014 FIFA World Cup preliminary round qualifiers in November. Namibia will take on Djibouti over two legs, the first away on November 11 and the second at home on November 15, while Lesotho take on Burundi on the same dates, with their first leg at home.

Meanwhile, Namibia coach Bernard Kaanjuka returned at the weekend from an inspection visit to Djibouti to make sure the facilities that have been laid on for his side meet FIFA specifications.

Malawi coach Kinnah Phiri says he will step down at the end of his contract in June and is not available to lead Malawi in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Phiri, who took the Flames to the 2010 African Nations Cup finals but narrowly missed out on a second successive appearance at the 2012 edition, has told reporters he intends leaving in the wake of the 2-2 draw in Chad earlier this month which cost Malawi a place at the upcoming tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

“My contract ends in June and I’ll be a happy man because the history will still remain that Kinnah Phiri did something for his country,” he said. “I promise we would qualify for the Nations Cup which I did and secondly I promised to the nation to put the team on a better position as far as FIFA ranking is concerned. “Whether you like it or not, whether you hate me or not, the Flames have done well during my tenure. From the eight games we played during the (2012) qualifiers, we have not lost any.

We missed qualification by a whisker,” he added. Phiri said he would be gone by June 1, ahead of Malawi’s first World Cup two qualifier against either Kenya or the Seychelles on the first weekend of June and Nigeria the next weekend.

French coach Herve Renard has returned to the national team coaching job in Zambia, agreeing a one-year contract to take the team to next year's African Nations Cup finals and also start their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, Zambia's football association confirmed on Saturday. Renard was Zambia's coach at the last Nations Cup finals in Angola in 2010 where they lost in the quarter-finals in a post-match penalty shootout but left afterwards to take over at Angola and then Algerian club USM Alger. He returns to Zambia to replace former Italian international Dario Bonetti, fired last week despite qualifying the country for the 2012 finals.

Renard, 43, was the assistant coach with hosts Ghana at the 2008 Nations Cup finals but signed six months later to take charge of Zambia, his first senior job. He played at Cannes in France before working under compatriot Claude LeRoy in China, England and with Ghana's Black Stars. His record with Zambia was 14 wins, 10 draws and 10 defeats in 34 matches but his next spell with Angola ended with a sacking after just a seven-month spell. He has been coach at USM Alger since January and leaves them on top of the Algerian league standings. Zambia await next weekend's Nations Cup draw to discover their opponents in the 2012 finals in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

The tournament starts on Jan. 21. Next June, Zambia start World Cup qualifying with matches against the Sudan and Ghana.