By SANDRA MWILA –

AS the Chipolopolo slumped seven rungs on the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) yesterday announced that the 2012 African champions will face Sudan this monthend at the ingeniously designed Heroes National Stadium in Lusaka.
Zambia will play Sudan in an international friendly on August 30, marking the first match at the newly-built Heroes National Stadium which is yet to be officially opened.
The game against Sudan will be part of the Chipolopolo’s preparations for the forthcoming 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Mozambique on September 6.
FAZ communications manager, Nkweto Tembwe said at a media briefing in Lusaka yesterday that the association had written to the Sports Ministry requesting for the Sudan friendly to be hosted at the new stadium.
Tembwe said Government had given FAZ a ‘green light’ to stage the August 30 match at the Heroes Stadium.
“I am pleased to announce that the Ministry of Sport has replied to our request and have given FAZ the permission to host Sudan at the Heroes National Stadium,” he said.
Tembwe said the gate charges and other logistics for the Zambia versus Sudan game would be communicated later.
The Sudan match will also be the first international assignment for new Chipolopolo coach, Honour Janza.
On the latest FIFA rankings released yesterday, the Chipolopolo has dropped to 21st position in Africa and 84th on the global chart.
Despite a lull in footballing activity in many parts of the world, Zambia has dropped seven places in the August 2014 ratings from last month’s 14th in Africa.
According to FIFA, the results of 23 new international “A” matches were taken into account for the current edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.
Ten of these matches were friendlies while the remaining 13 matches were qualifiers for the 2015 AFCON finals.
World champions Germany continue to lead the way ahead of Argentina and the Netherlands, but Spain have jumped one position and now share seventh place with Brazil.
Meanwhile, CAF has written to FAZ informing the association that the Nkana’s Confederation Cup game against Sewe Sport of Ivory Coast will go ahead as scheduled next weekend despite the threat of the Ebola virus in West Africa.
Tembwe said Nkana would have to travel to Ivory Coast for their Confederation Cup Group B match against Sewe Sport because the country has not recorded any cases of Ebola.