Warriors drop points but retain position

The Warriors were able to hang onto their position because there was not much action on the international football scene during the month of February, which could have seen the national side either move up or slide down depending on results. The Warriors have been on a downward spiral in world rankings because of a drop in football standards that many blame on maladministration by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA). The drop in standards has seen Zimbabwe missing on the Nations Cup as well as the June World Cup in South Africa.

Meanwhile, the latest edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking reveals two changes of position in the top ten, as well as the return of a team that were European champions not so long ago.

Spain continue to lead the way ahead of Brazil and the Netherlands at the top, but further back Germany (5th, up 1) and Portugal (6th, down 1) swap places, as do England (8th, up 1) and Argentina (9th, down 1).?? Greece (10th, up 2) also return to the top ten for the first time since June 2008. Their fortunes are in sharp contrast to those of Egypt, last months major movers.

The African champions fell seven places and are now in 17th place. The Pharaohs are still the highest-placed African team, however, just ahead of Cameroon (20th), Nigeria (21st) and Cte dIvoire (22nd).

Thirty-one matches, all friendlies, have been taken into account in this edition of the Rankings, taking the total number of international ‘A’ matches played so far in 2010 to 98. ??More movement can be expected in the next edition of the ranking as a considerable number of matches will be played on 4 March (last Thursday), a date reserved for friendly matches in the international match calendar. It is an opportunity for many teams, not just those who have qualified for South Africa 2010, to make progress in the ranking, FIFA said in a statement from Switzerland .