The Egyptian national team fell in the FIFA global rankings to 70th place in February. The holders of seven Africa Cup of Nation trophies, who were once in the top ten, were hit by a 16 position slide in the global rankings, which were announced on Thursday. The Pharaohs' global ranking was influenced by lack of participation, after the disqualification from the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), in addition to successive defeats in friendly games -- 0-3 to Ghana, 2-4 to Ivory Coast and 1-2 to Chile. The technical staff, under the guidance of American manager Bob Bradley, expressed sadness over Egypt's worst ranking since the FIFA started their ranking system in 1993. “Losing 16 positions at one time is really disappointing, but we are hoping we will advance again after defeating Zimbabwe in March,” Egypt goalkeeper coach Zaki Abdel-Fattah told Ahram Sports. Egypt will face Zimbabwe on 26 March in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, in an attempt to end a 24 year absence from the most prestigious tournament. They top qualifiers Group G with six points from two games, three ahead of second-placed Guinea. Zimbabwe and Mozambique hold one point each. CAN 2012 champions Nigeria are celebrating their highest position in 3 years, jumping 22 places to number 30. Top 10: (January positions in parentheses) 1. Spain (1) 2. Germany (2) 3. Argentina (3) 4. England (6) 5. Italy (4) 6. Colombia (5) 6. Portugal (7) 8. Netherlands (8) 9. Croatia (10) 10. Russia (9) Top 5 African teams: 12. Ivory Coasts (14) 25. Mali (25) 30. Nigeria (42) 34. Algeria (22) 42. Tunisia (31) Top 5 Arab teams: 34. Algeria (22) 42. Tunisia (31) 62. Libya (47) 70. Egypt (54) 74. Morocco (74) (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at@AO Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports)
