Luhila said from Lagos on Wednesday that there is no excuse for Zanaco to fail to qualify for the Confederations Cup group stage.

Zanaco thrashed Enyimba 4-0 in Lusaka on July 17.

“It will not be easy for Enyimba to beat Zanaco 5-0. President Banda and the 11 million Zambians are expecting nothing but victory. When the boys will be on the pitch they will be representing Zambia and not Zanaco,” said Luhila, who led embassy staff to welcome Zanaco on Wednesday.

Luhila said he is looking forward to seeing Zanaco being crowned Confederations Cup champions.

He said it is time Zambian teams made a mark in African club football.

Enyimba coach Felix Ermodi says the match against Zanaco looks insurmountable but he is confident the Nigerian champions will come out smiling.

Emordi said in an interview from Aba yesterday that his team is not new to this kind of situation, citing the 6–1 defeat to Egyptian side Ismaili before winning the 2004 Champions League.

“We in Enyimba have erased the word impossibility from our vocabulary long time ago this philosophy has seen us through…this match against Zanaco cannot be an exception.”

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The news follows the signing of Italian-born coach Dario Bonetti, whom the goalkeeper worked with during his career in Hungary.

In a statement to the press, the 25-year-old expressed shock and utter dismay at the rumour linking him to the Chipolopolo.

“This is a figment of someone’s imagination,” he said.

“I am a Ghanaian and remain loyal and committed to my beloved country Ghana and I have never considered switching nationality to Zambia. Ghana is where I belong.

“The news is totally preposterous and intended to sour my reputation and relationship with Ghanaians. My wish to return to the Black Stars is on course and I am happy to be working towards that here in Israel with my club Hapoel Petah Tikva.

“Moreover, Dario Bonetti, as the head coach, and Claudio Bozini [goalkeeper trainer] have not even approached me for anything of such nature and I don’t think they would dream of it. The news should not be taken seriously.”

Amamoo has remained a favourite and trusted goalkeepers of Bonetti after working with him in Hungary, and the feeling would appear to be mutual as the shot-stopper concluded: “I will not be surprised if Zambia become one of the strongest national teams on the continent from now onwards. I can also assure the goalkeepers that Caludio Bozini comes with a lot of experience and they will receive one of the best trainings because he helped me to win most awards in my football career.”

The Zambian goal poacher turns 24 Monday and his strikes 16 and 32 minutes into the first half at the National Stadium gave Mazembe the perfect start in Group A with the win taking them to the top of the table.

Mazembe, who edged Heartland of Nigeria on away goals in the 2009 final, are seeking a fourth African title, the 1,5-million-dollar first prize and a ticket to the year-end FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

After a win and three draws during a warm-up tour of Zambia, the Congolese ‘Crows’ flew south to the Zimbabwean capital confident they would put the Harare Glamour Boys in their place.

Singuluma, who failed to score in four qualifiers for the mini-league phase of the premier African club competition, tormented a Dynamos defence boosted by the return of goalkeeper Washington Arubi from trials in South Africa.

The result vindicated the pre-match boast of Franco-Italian coach Diego Garzitto that he and Mazembe, whose other titles came in 1967 and 1968, can conquer the continent again.

“I have confidence in my players and our hopes are very high. There are a few new players in the squad this year and it appears stronger on paper, although we have to prove it on the pitch,” he said.

Dynamos lost the 1998 final to ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast and reached the semi-finals two years ago before failing at home and away against Cotonsport Garoua of Cameroon.

The other Group A game also produced an away win with Wajdi Bouazzi scoring soon after half-time to give Esperance of Tunisia a 1-0 victory over Entente Setif of Algeria Friday.

Bouazzi struck on 52 minutes for his fifth goal of the 2010 competition which makes him joint leading scorer with Mandela Ocansey from eliminated Burkina Faso club ASFA Yennenga.

Oussama Darragi, a disappointment as Tunisia made a first-round 2010 African Nations Cup exit in Angola, created the goal that settled a clash of former title holders with Setif winning in 1988 and Esperance six years later.

Esperance host Dynamos on July 31 and Mazembe have home advantage over Setif one day later in the second series of matches in a six-round mini-league phase with group winners and runners-up qualifying for the semi-finals.

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On the world ranking Zambia has been put on 73 and an African ranking of 14.

South Africa are the highest ranked nation in the SADC region with a world ranking of 66 and an African ranking of 12.

Zambia is followed by Malawi (74 in the world and 15 in Africa), Mozambique (80 in the world and 17 in Africa), and Angola (86 in the world and 19 in Africa). Botswana is next on 93 in the world rankings and 21 on the African continent followed by Zimbabwe (110 in the world and 27 in Africa) and then Namibia.

Botswana were the biggest climbers in the rankings on the African continent after they shot up 23 places as a result of their AFCON 2012 qualifier wins against Chad (1-0) and Tunisia (1-0). The other SADC countries were playing friendlies ahead of the World Cup in South Africa.

Gambia, who will play Namibia in their first AFCON 2012 qualifier in September, were 102 on the world ranking and 24 on the African continent. The other countries in Namibia’s AFCON 2012 qualifying group, Mauritania are ranked 168 in the world and 45 in Africa, and Burkina Faso are 45 in the world and eighth in Africa.

Egypt first in Africa

Egypt, which won the 2010 AFCON competition is the top ranked country on the African continent with a world ranking of ninth.

Ghana are now second on the African continent after climbing nine positions to 23 in the world, after a great showing at the World Cup, which saw them reach the quarter finals. Ivory Coast is third in position 26 on the world rankings, while Nigeria are fourth with a world ranking of 30 and Algeria fifth with a world ranking of 33.

The biggest losers in Africa were Cameroon who dropped 21 places to number 40 on the world rankings. On the world rankings the biggest losers were Canada who dropped 37 places to 100.

Spain go top

Spain, who were previously ranked second in the world, are now ranked first after winning the World Cup. The Netherlands are now ranked second having climbed two positions, while Brazil dropped from first to third. The rest of the top ten nations are Germany, Argentina, Uruguay, England, Egypt, Portugal and Chile.

The biggest climbers in the world rankings were New Zealand who climbed 24 positions to number 54.

Greek First Division club Xanthi announced yesterday that they had signed former Jomo Cosmos and Zambian international striker Christopher Katongo on a one-year contract.

No financial details of the deal were revealed by the club which finished fourth from bottom last season just avoiding relegation on the final day of the season.

The 28-year-old began his career in Zambia and South Africa before heading to Europe in 2007 when he signed for Norwegian side Brondby. He moved to Arminia Bielefeld in Germany in 2008.

Katongo made his international debut for Zambia in 2003 and has scored 11 goals in 51 appearances.

Ghana's Samuel Inkoom, right, and Anthony Annan participate in a drill during a Ghana national soccer team training session in Mogwase, South Africa, 28 Jun 2010. Photo AP

Excitement is building as Ghana prepares to face Uruguay in the quarterfinal of the football World Cup Friday in South Africa.  Fans in many African nations are rooting for the Black Stars.

It seems that all of Africa celebrated Ghana’s qualification for the quarter finals of the World Cup.  And many are hoping the Black Stars will beat Uruguay on Friday to become the first African team to qualify for a World Cup semi-final.

A school teacher in Blantyre, Malawi, James Manda, says Ghana succeeded because it played better than the five other African teams that qualified for the Cup.

“Ghana impressed me the most,” said Manda.  “They could defend as a unit, play as a unit.  That is why they could qualify better.”

Fellow Blantyre resident Iswell Chinkwezule said the victory was even more special because the World Cup is being held for the first time in Africa.

“Having it on the African soil, it is something that is only once in a generation,” said Chinkwezule.

Zambian architect Mwamba Mulenga, like most Africans watched the match at a café not far from his home in Lusaka.  He praised South Africa’s organization of such a major event.

“Personally, really I did not expect South Africa to pull it off well,” said Mulenga.  “But they did because when you look at the infrastructure, the infrastructure is excellent.  It was a good job.”

Miles Zulu, who works for a media station in the Zambian capital, agrees.

“It has made us proud and I think it is a good opportunity for the Africans,” noted Zulu.  “It has been successful so far and no complaints have been heard about South Africa hosting the World Cup and everybody has been praising this, including the FIFA president.”

Blantyre homemaker Chisomo Chibwana hopes the tournament, which cost billions of dollars in preparations, will encourage the development of infrastructure elsewhere on the continent.

“When you talk of hotels being built, issues of infrastructure, it is bringing us such a hope that our leaders are being opened in their eyes that we surely need to do this,” said Chibawana.

The new World Cup ball, called the Jabulani, has caused controversy.  Some players and coaches say they do not like it because its seamless design makes it unpredictable when kicked.

But Lusaka resident Failot Thambo disagrees, saying the ball has improved the game.

“It is different from the previous balls because when a player kicks it, it is revolving according to how the player has done the job,” said Thambo.  “It is very fantastic.”

The most controversial accessory of this World Cup by far has been the vuvuzela, the monotonal plastic horn that in a full stadium sounds like a hive of angry bees.

Some players and television announcers have complained the horns drown out the game and want them banned.  But many fans have embraced them.

A Zimbabwean lawyer living in Harare, Mandla Jama Sibanda, believes the vuvuzela is here to stay.

“That is an African product that has taken the soccer fraternity by storm,” explained Sibanda.  “I am told it has taken Southeast Asia by storm, China by storm, Europe, and all over the world.  We are proud of vuvuzela.  Some people are saying it will be banned.  We say you cannot ban an exquisite product like vuvuzela.”

A boutique-owner in Harare, Rachel Chikwewo, says overall Africa’s first football World Cup is a source of gratification for the entire continent.

“South Africa has done us proud and I think everyone who is watching the World Cup can agree with me that the way they are handling their end is way, way beyond what expected,” said Chikwewo.

She is a bit cautious about the prospects of a second World Cup on the continent.

“I would want to see that happen, but given the situation with most countries in Africa, the infrastructure, the economy, they would need more than four years [to prepare],” she added.  “But we cannot rule it out.”

Hilary Malwa, who works for an insurance company in Lusaka, is more confident saying he believes the tournament has opened the door for other major sporting events on the continent.

“It is a great thing because the Olympics can come to Africa and other major tournaments can come to Africa as well,” said Malwa.

Many fans believe Brazil is the most likely team to hoist the World Cup trophy for an unprecedented sixth time.  But others say with the backing of an entire continent, Ghana could also win.

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This is part of the agreement reached between the players’s representative Tony Irish and SAFA’s chief executive officer Leslie Sedibe.

Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira will also get the same incentives as the players in terms of the contract he negotiated with SAFA.

Both parties would not discuss the breakdown, but a source whispered that “each player will get just over R3.5m and a brand-new Merc for winning the World Cup.

“This includes getting R50 000 match appearance, an additional R120 000 for a win or R50 000 for a draw.”

“African teams are in a different and better position than previous tournaments, and I think we are better prepared. We do have the confidence and experience, and I believe our teams now believe they can achieve success at this level,”Bwalya said on fifa.com.

“I think Ghana have been the most consistent team from Africa, and they are favourites at the moment. Ivory Coast are a world class team, and they have some of the top players currently playing for big teams in Europe.

“The South Africa side is not a bad team at all, and I think they showed that during the Confederations Cup. They have some good individual players. A number of other teams have impressed me.

“Cameroon remain a good, solid side. A lot has been said about them, but they are a good side. Nigeria have also been good, even though they have not got the results at times.”

But ther Daily Mail of UK reports that Harry Redknapp is baffled by reports claiming that Tottenham Hotspur have signed Zambia teen sensation Emmanuel Mbola.

The north London club were said to be closing in on a £1million deal for the left-back, who, despite being just 16, has 20 caps and was the youngest player at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Despite being just 16, Mbola has already won 20 caps for his country and was the youngest player at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

But Redknapp insists Mbola is not on his radar – and doesn’t even seem to know where the Pyunik Yerevan player is from!

‘I don’t know him,’ said the Spurs boss. ‘We had two kids here from Nigeria training, but I don’t know anything about a boy from Angola (sic).

‘Maybe the academy have brought him in, but he certainly is not training with the first team.’

Mbola qualifies for a European work permit and is also said to have been attracting interest from West Ham United.