JOHANNESBURG - Zimbabwe s downslide in international football continued with the Warriors plummeting to their lowest ranking to date in the FIFA Coca Cola World Rankings. According to the latest rankings table released by the world football governing body from Switzerland last Thursday, the team fell five places down the ladder and are now ranked 118th. This followed the Warriors inactivity in the month of August. Zimbabwe, who were previously ranked 113th, were only active in September as they earned a credible draw away to Liberia in a CAF African Nations Cup 2012 qualifier.
The team has been on a steady decline in the rankings in recent years because of poor form that culminated in the national side failing to qualify for the African Nations Cup and World Cup earlier this year. At its peak, the team was ranked in the top 50 during the Dream Team era of the early 1990s.
Meanwhile, the results of the 159 ‘A’ international matches played over the last five weeks caused some significant movement in the latest edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. World champions Spain are still on top, although defeat in Buenos Aires has seen them lose a quarter of their lead.?
Germany (3rd) and Brazil (4th) have traded places, as have England (6th) and Uruguay (7th), with the two European teams benefiting from their successful start to UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers. Norway (14th, up 8) and Slovakia (16th, up 11) have both climbed into the top 20 for the same reason. Russia (25th, down 9) and France (27th, down 6) have lost considerable ground, in contrast to Turkey (21st, up 7), who are on the rise again.
The most impressive climbers, however, are Montenegro (40th, up 33) as their two victories in EURO 2012 qualifiers have catapulted them into the top 50 for the first time. This represents an incredible rise for the newest member of the FIFA family, who started off at the foot of the ranking with no points to their name just three years ago. Other teams that can celebrate jumps of at least ten positions and a place in the top 50 are Lithuania (42nd, up 10), Cyprus (43rd, up 20) and Northern Ireland (45th, up 14).
There are also some major movers further down the ranking, including Belarus (55th, up 23), Panama (70th, up 27), the Cape Verde Islands (77th, up 31), Guinea (81st, up 21), Georgia (89th, up 21), Burundi (122nd, up 20) and particularly Guinea-Bissau (140th), who have climbed 48 places after returning from almost three years of inactivity with a victory.
FIFA said that in all, seven associations are currently in their highest-ever position in the world ranking since its introduction in 1993. These are Slovakia , Montenegro , Cyprus and Belarus , as well as Burkina Faso (39th), Uganda (63rd) and Botswana (82nd).
Post published in: Athletics