Nigeria moves up on FIFA rankings

By Tunde Ogunesan - 05.06.2008

Super Eagles players celebrate one of thier
goals against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana
last Sunday in Abuja.NIGERIAN football may have begun to reap the fruit of sacking former Super Eagles handler, Berti Vogts immediately after the Nations Cup in Ghana, following the latest FIFA rankings.

According to the rankings released on Wednesday, Nigeria now ranked 34th in the world with 709 points, making it second best in Africa behind Cameroun which is nowplaced 13th.

Apart from recording a draw with Austria in an international friendly last month, and a 2-0 victory over South Africa in a 2010 World Cup qualifier, the news of Nigeria’s ranking will be well-received by Nigerian football administrators.

Other African countries on the rankings are: Ghana which placed 16th in the world and third best in Africa with 986 points; Egypt with 848 points ranked 23rd while Cote d’Ivoire dropped by three places and now ranked 25th with 838 points. Morocco with 690 points is now 40th in the world.

Guinea, ranked 41st with 679 points; Senegal 43rd with 667 points; Mali 46th with 630 points and Tunisia with 594 points ranked 50th completed the list of African countries on the list of first 50.

The first eight cuntries on the ranking remain unchanged with Argentina still the best team in the world with 1559 points while, Brazil with 1513, Italy 1424 and Spain on 1303 were second, third and fourth respectively.