Equatorial Guinea has been named as the replacement for Tanzania in the COSAFA Cup Zambia 2013 field after the latter were forced to withdraw.

The Taifa Stars became ineligible for the tournament as it clashed with a revised date for their African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier against Uganda in July.

The East African nation was set to make their second visit to the Southern African regional championship that runs from July 6-20 after appearing in the inaugural tournament in 1997.

But a change in date for their CHAN qualifier has meant there is a clash of schedules and they have had to decline their invitation. Instead their place will be taken by Equatorial Guinea, who played at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations as co-hosts.

South Africa have moved up six places in the Fifa world rankings to break into the top 10 of African teams.

Bafana Bafana are the ninth best team in their zone and the 56th best team in the world according to world football's governing body.

Top three teams Cote d'voire, Ghana and Mali had no changes, while African champions Nigeria crept up the list, reaching 28th place overall, but the improvement does not lift them from fourth place among the teams from their continent.

Equatorial Guinea, the Africa Cup of Nations runners-up, slip to 10th in Africa, while Cameroon are the side to slip out of the top 10.

Zambia's slide down the Fifa rankings has continued with the Chipolopolo dropping nine places this month.

According to the April world rankings released on Thursday, the 2012 African champions are now no better than 45th.

Although Herve Renard's side are still in Africa's top 10, they have gone downhill since winning the Nations Cup.

Alarm bells have been ringing in their camp since the 1-1 against Lesotho in a 2014 World Cup qualifier on 24 March.

South Africa have dropped two places to 62nd globally, despite their World Cup qualifying win against Central African Republic last month.

Equatorial Guinea face being stripped of a 4-3 win over Cape Verde in 2014 World Cup qualifying for fielding an ineligible player.

Fifa says it has opened a disciplinary case against the Equatorial Guinea FA after last month's victory in Malabo.

Football's world governing body has not specified which player's eligibility they are investigating.

While none of the Equatorial Guinea starting line-up was born there are regulations that allow players to represent a country.

According to Article 17 of football's world governing body's statutes,  a player wishing to acquire a new nationality must fulfil at least one of the following conditions:

Several of the favourites in Africa’s qualifiers for the 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil struggled on the third matchday of the group stage, now at the half-way point.

Morocco's loss in Tanzania was the biggest surprise, while 2012 African champions Zambia were held to a draw in Lesotho and Senegal and new African kings Nigeria were held at home. As only the ten group winners advance to the final round of qualifying, the dropped points will undoubtedly increase the pressure and the chances of a major shock moving forward.

The Super Eagles were expected to enjoy a bit of a walk in the park at home against their East African opponents, however, it turned out to be anything but as 20-year-old Kahata gave the visitors the lead when he scored direct from a free-kick.

Equatorial Guinea has managed to get the entire country excited, thanks to the great victory won this Sunday against Cape Verde, in a match valid for the second round of qualifications of the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014.

Within three minutes of the match, the hero of the match, Emilio Nsue, opened the scoreboard with a head shot received from a corner kick, which he is accustoming us to lately.

Due to a defensive error, Cape Verde tied thanks to Marco Paulo, and team of the Spaniard Andoni Goikoetxea could not get into the game, committing numerous errors and giving its rival the field.

Egypt's Ismaily needed two late goals to break down a resilient Terrible CO side, beating the Madagascar club 2-0 in Alexandria in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup round of 32 on Sunday.

The Dervishes scored in a three-minute second-half spell to ensure they would head into the second leg in a fortnight as favourites to reach the last 16 of Africa's secondary club competition.

Midfielder Ahmed Khairy broke the deadlock in the 77th minute with a precise shot from inside the area.

Ghanaian forward John Antwi, 20, doubled the lead with 10 minutes remaining when he skillfully skipped past a challenger, burst into the area and fired home from a tight angle.

Tunisian duo CS Sfaxien and Etoile du Sahel face daunting tests in this weekend’s first leg matches of the 1/16 th round of the 2103 Orange CAF Confederation Cup against West African opponents.
 
Sfaxien and Etoile, who both drew a bye at the prelims get their first feel of the second-tier continental club championship with home games against Gamtel and Onze Createurs of Gambia and Mali respectively.
 
The two clubs, both former winners of the competition find themselves in dicey situations against opponents ranked nowhere near the big guns of continental football.

Equatorial Guinea captain Juvenal believes the appointment of Andoni Goikoetxea as the new national coach has come at the right time.

Spaniard Goikoetxea, a former international defender, was installed in the job on Sunday, taking over from Gilson Paulo, whose contract expired at the end of February.

"I think it is good for us to have a new coach - it is a new time for the team," Juvenal, who has been capped 21 times by his country, told BBC Sport.

"Goikoetxea has worked hard at different clubs in Spain in his career and he has also coached the Spanish under-19 and under-20 sides.

Mbabane Swallows of Swaziland and Revenue Authority of Uganda had their CAF Champions League giantkilling dreams dashed at the weekend.

While Swallows improved on a previously shocking home record in the leading pan-African club competition to draw 0-0 with Zanaco of Zambia, they lost the preliminary round tie 3-2 on aggregate.

Revenue Authority also failed to score in front of their supporters with a second 0-0 deadlock against Coton Sport of Cameroon leading to a penalty shootout won 4-3 by the visitors.

Swallows, who conceded 12 goals at home in three previous Champions League games, created few chances in Lobomba and Zanaco came closest to ending the stalemate when Davies Mwape rattled the woodwork.