IVORY COAST - National coach Patrick Parizon was dismissed over the weekend, Ivorian football officials announced, after a series of mediocre team performances.

The surprise sacking leaves the Ivorian Elephants without a coach ahead of two qualifying matches next month, against Uganda in the African Nations Cup finals and against Madagascar in the World Cup preliminaries.

Parizon took over the team after the African Nations Cup final in February, where the Ivory Coast failed to make it past the first round.

Under Parizon, the Elephants won four out of their last seven matches, drew two and lost once.

EGYPT - An estimated crowd of 100,000 greeted Egyptian club Zamalek on their return to Cairo early on Monday following their success in the African Cup Winners' Cup final.

Jubilant fans crowded the city's airport as Zamalek arrived back on a charter flight from Yaounde where they had edged out Cameroon's Canon Yaounde 4-3 on aggregate.

Zamalek lost Sunday's second leg 2-0 but had won the first leg at home last month 4-1. The win qualifies the Cairo club for next year's World Club Championships in Spain.

SOUTH AFRICA - South Africa's under-20 team weathered almost constant pressure from their Angolan opponents to win the Cosafa under-20 championship in Johannesburg on Sunday.

A seventh-minute goal from Gareth Devine separated the two teams in the deciding match of the week-long tournament.

It was the first time that South Africa had won the annual event, which saw 12 countries from the Council of Southern African Football Associations competing.

NIGERIA - Players and officials of home club Sharks FC were attacked by their own supporters in Port Harcourt on Sunday after the team failed to beat Nigerian champions Julius Berger in a first division match.

Sharks' coach Alphonsus Dike was beaten up by fans, Nigerian reports said.

There was also fighting in Onitsha after Jasper United beat Enugu Rangers in another Nigerian leauge match. Last month first division Jigawa United were banned from playing their home matches in Kaduna after similar incidents.

ETHIOPIA - Champions St George won their sixth successive league match on Sunday to sustain their flying start to the new Ethiopian league season.

St George won 2-0 against Trans Ethiopia in Mekele to open up a six-point lead at the top of the standings.