Flames move a step up on FIFA rankings

“At a snail’s pace” would be a kind and too good a description for the Flames’ movement on the FIFA rankings.

For a team that has moved just a step up on the rankings in two months, a snail should be considered faster.

Malawi entered the New Year ranked 124 and maintained that sorry position in the February rankings.

In the latest rankings released on Thursday, the team crawled a step up into position 123.

This comes as Ron Van Geneugden (RVG) and his troops are in camp preparing for a strength-testing match away to Uganda later this month.

The match comes inside a FIFA sanctioned week, allowing RVG to have his preferred foreign based arsenal around.

Already, ten stars have been earmarked for the trip and are expected to start trickling in on Monday next week.

Skipper Limbikani Mzava, Gerald Phiri Jnr, Robert Ng’ambi and Robin Ngalande form the South African based quartet named in the squad, while goalkeeper Charles Swini, Frank and his brother John Banda and Chawanangwa Kawonga will join from Mozambique.

The only Europe based star expected to make the squad is striker Richard Mbulu from Portugal while midfielder Dalitso Sailesi will jet in from Zambia.

The Ugandan Cranes have maintained 78th ranking on the global ladder.

Two of Malawi’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) opponents Morocco and Cameroon have also safeguarded their February rankings.

As the Atlas Lions maintain position 42, the Indomitable Lions remain ranked 51.

Comoros who are also in the same qualifying group have dropped by two places to 132.

South Africa’s Bafana Bafana are the highest ranked in COSAFA (76) followed by Zambia 77.

Ranked 23, Tunisia sit highest on the continent while globally the top 6 has not changed, as Germany’s dominance atop the table remains intact.

March’s best mover is Andorra having climbed up 7 steps to position 130, while Azerbaijan are the worst mover tumbling down 8 places to attain position 127.