The Gambia can take positives from Saturday's goalless draw with the Maurabitones of Mauritania in the second international friendly meeting between the two sides in a space of four days.

Following a 2-0 defeat in the first game on Wednesday, the Scorpions were the better side in the second and final installment of the two-game series played at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

Following a disappointing performance in the previous encounter, Luciano Mancini's side looked to make amends for the poor showing and should have taken the lead in the early exchanges of the game when Tijan Jaiteh's effort from just outside the opposition half was saved by the keeper.

The Maurabitones of Mauritania Wednesday secured a shock 2-0 win over the Scorpions of The Gambia in the first of a double header friendly international played at a far from full Independence Stadium in Bakau.

A goal either side of the break from Abdoullah Gueye and Ismaila Diakite proved the difference between the two sides. The two sides will face off again on Saturday for the second game.

The Scorpions featured three foreign-based players in the match - captain Dawda Bah and Tijan Jaiteh in midfield and Abdou T-Boy Jammeh in defence.

The Mauritanians, coached by well travelled Frenchman Patrice Nouvou executed their game plan to perfection and were better than their Gambian hosts in all departments, a fact admitted by the vice chairman and spokesperson of the Normalisation Committee of the Gambia Football Association.

The Gambia Football Association (GFA) Monday held a joint press conference with its Mauritanian counterpart at the Bamboo Hotel in Kololi ahead of the two country's friendly international in Banjul.

The press conference was meant to brief the public about the double header friendly between the Scorpions of The Gambia and the Maurabitones of Mauritania slated for Wednesday and Saturday with both games to be played at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

Speaking at the press conference, the head coach of Mauritania, Patrice Naveij, expressed his gratitude to the GFA for creating a conducive atmosphere for them. He said that the test game is very important for his team since it will create a room for him to know how competitive his players are.

Mauritania striker Dominique Da Silva is packing his bags after an unsuccessful 18-month spell with African champions Ahly.

The 22-year-old forward failed to settle in at the Red Devils and has been relegated to the bench since the arrival of coach Hossam El-Badry last summer.

"We gave him the permission to go. We talked to his agent who said that a Swiss team will table an offer for him in the next few days," Ahly's football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz told the club's website on Thursday.

Da Silva was lured by the Red Devils in the summer of 2011 from Tunisian side Sfaxien after impressing former boss Manuel Jose with his strength and speed.

African Nations Championship (CHAN) title holders Tunisia were paired with Morocco Thursday when the qualifying draw for the 2014 tournament was made in Cairo.

Algeria play Libya in the other match-up involving countries in the north of the continent with regional powerhouse Egypt a notable absentee from the zonal draw.

Egypt (6) and Cape Verde Islands (15) are the only teams among the CAF top 20 not to enter a competition that has grown quickly in stature with the number of finalists doubling from eight to 16 for the second edition in Sudan last year.

Tunisia defeated Angola 3-0 in the 2011 final of a championship restricted to footballers playing in their country of birth and the Democratic Republic of Congo upset Ghana 2-0 in the first decider two years earlier.

Saint George finished the season in Ethiopia as champions again, while other leagues playing through the summer edged towards the half-way mark with drama at the top.

DR Congo Division 1: V Club take over
Kinshasa’s AS V Club went back to the summit as they beat visiting OC Bukavu Muungano 3-1 at the Stade des Martyrs.

They moved to 34 points, three ahead of TP Mazembe, who lost in the CAF Champions League over the weekend but now have a game in hand in the early stages of their defence of their domestic title.

Caf has decided to lift a two-year ban imposed on Mauritania following their withdrawal from the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification process, the Mauritania Football Federation (FFRIM) said on Tuesday.

“Through a letter dated May 28, CAF has responded positively to a request for waiver of suspension of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (FFRIM), introduced on the occasion of its last congress held in Libreville, Gabon, in February,” the body said.

The Mauritania national team will now be able to participate in the qualifying campaign for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Morocco.

Sierra Leone came from behind to beat Chad on Sunday to advance to the next round of qualifying for the 2013 African Under-20 Championship.

The Shooting Stars won 2-1, to make it 5-3 on aggregate, and puts them through to face Cameroon in the next stage.

The other teams to secure progress over the weekend were Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Niger, Uganda and Morocco.

The finals are in Algeria next year, with places at the 2013 Under-20 World Cup in Turkey on offer.

The race to next year’s CAN U20 finals in Algeria resumes this weekend across the continent with the conclusion of first round qualifying matches.

Eight places are at stake for the second round. Five teams, it seems, will take a substantial advantage from the first leg wins into this weekend’s return fixtures.

Morocco, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Niger, Rwanda and Sierra Leone boosted their passage to second round with healthy victories. The first four won convincingly at home but Rwanda and Sierra Leone went one better by wining away from home in Windhoek and N’Djamena respectively.

The road to the 18th edition of the Orange African U-20 Championship to be held in Algeria in 2013 begins this weekend with eight first round matches. Sixteen teams are in action as the early steps to see who will wrestle the crown currently in the hands of the Nigerians start across the continent.

The Super Eaglets won the title last year in South Africa with Cameroon finishing in second place.  Egypt and Mali finished third and fourth respectively while hosts South Africa, Gambia, Ghana and Lesotho were the other finalists. The marathon qualifying for "Algeria 2013" will end in October after fifty-eight games.

The first round looks open with a wide range of teams some with established record and others none at all in this competition. This scenario leaves an interesting prospect of finding out who reaches the second round.