Cameroon players celebrate the country's first-ever gold medal

Defending champions Cameroon host Mali this weekend in the highlight of an eight-match 2004 Olympic Games qualifying programme.

Both countries made impressive debuts in the group phase two months ago with Cameroon winning 4-1 away to the Democratic Republic of Congo while Mali triumphed 3-0 at home to Ivory Coast.

In the other game in Group B, Ivory Coast entertain DR Congo boosted by the presence of five 'exiles', midfielders Mohamed Cisse, Almamy Doumbia and Gilles Yapo and strikers Abdoul Keita and Venance Zeze.

Numerous European clubs refused to release Ivorians for the match in Mali, and were backed by world football controlling body FIFA, who said Olympic qualifiers did not fall within the international calendar.

Nigeria, who in 1996 became the first African winners of the Olympic Games football tournament, also suffered from the ruling although it did not prevent an impressive 2-0 Group A victory in Egypt.

The West Africans seem set for another three points when they host Tunisia in the provincial city of Bauchi.

Tunisia made a disappointing debut, managing only a 0-0 draw at home to Senegal, and seem destined to figure among the also-rans for the second successive Olympic qualifying tournament.

Senegal play Egypt in Dakar and should win ahead of home and away fixtures against Nigeria during January and February that will almost certainly decide which country travels to Greece next August for the 16-team finals.

Groups C and D

Morocco were another top seed to make a flying start, walloping Ethiopia 4-0 in Rabat with Mustapha Allaoui scoring twice in the second half after Marouane Chamakh and Oussama Souidi struck early blows.

Angola won on the road in Group C, edging Uganda 2-1, and they must beat the Moroccans in Luanda to have a realistic chance of finishing first while the losers of the Ethiopia-Uganda clash need not worry about taking Greek lessons.

The refusal of local clubs to free players has hit South Africa hard ahead of a showdown with Algeria in Rustenburg, a mining town 300 kilometres west of the commercial capital, Johannesburg.

South Africa blamed the Burkina Faso referee for a 1-0 loss in Ghana and need maximum points to keep alive hopes of a second successive appearance at the Games. Algeria pipped Zambia at home thanks to an early Ali Hadji goal.

Zambia, who host Ghana in a repeat of the drawn third-place playoff at the Africa Games, will lack Sweden-based Boyd Mwila and Edwin Phiri because officials forgot to request their release.