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Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Warriors continued to drift away from the world top 100 when they crashed four places down the ladder, according to the Fifa rankings released yesterday. The Warriors, who played a goalless draw in a hastily arranged international friendly match against lowly ranked Tanzania this month, paid the price as they tumbled to 106 in the world as the East Africans gained five places to 124th.

Zimbabwe appear to be struggling to return to the top 100 although they had made considerable progress in September when they beat South Africa 2-1 to move 15 places to 101.

But last month they lost one place in the world rankings which also left them 27th in Africa as they were inactive.

The Warriors dropped two places in Africa this month to 29th as they were displaced by West Africans Liberia and Niger.

Zimbabwe dropped 18 points from 328 to 310 following the draw against Tanzania in a match that coach Ian Gorowa used as a platform to assess some of the local players ahead of the African Nations Championships.

Veteran goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini and his teammate at AmaZulu in South Africa, Carlington Nyadombo, were the only established players in that squad.

However, a win over Tanzania in Dar-es-Salam could not have meant much for the Zimbabweans since their opponents are ranked much lower. In fact it is the East Africans who appeared to have benefited from the draw.

The Taifa Stars were ranked 129th in the world last month and they rose five places to 124th in the latest rankings. They also gained two places on the continent to 36th.

The Warriors will be assembling again next week for a friendly match against Mozambique which they are hoping to use to intensify preparations for the Chan tournament to be hosted by South Africa early next year.

Gorowa’s men will kick-start their bid for honours with a clash against Morocco at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, a day after hosts South Africa, who will be using Greenpoint in the same city, would have played against Mozambique in a Group A opener on January 11.