International Football
NIGERIA TO RANK NUMBER 41 ON MONDAY; SET FOR POT 4 OF WORLD CUP DRAW
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
When the October 2017 FIFA ranking is released on Monday, Nigeria will be ranked number 41 in the world and fifth in Africa, Sports Village Square has calculated.
The October ranking is crucial as it will be exclusively used for the final draw of the World Cup which will hold on December 1 at State Kremlin Palace in Moscow Russia.
As at the moment, with the inclusion of Russia which even though will be 63rd in global ranking, but will be moved forward among the top eight seeds at the World Cup Draw, Nigeria will be number 19 in ranking among the 23 already qualified teams.
The situation will definitely change when some of the expected nine qualifiers are added next month. Of the nine expected World Cup teams, four are expected from Europe as eight will be drawn into straight knockout fixture on Tuesday.
Of the eight European teams struggling for qualification, Nigeria will be ahead of on Greece in the FIFA ranking to be released on Monday.
The effect of this is that Nigeria will be pushed three or four steps down the ranking ladder by the time the four new European qualifiers emerge.
The other seven European aspirants that are ahead in ranking to Nigeria are Switzerland (to rank 11), Italy (15), Denmark (16), Croatia (19), Northern Ireland (23), Sweden (25) and Ireland (26).
From the current 19th ranking among the World Cup qualifiers which will certainly go to 23 or 24 when four more qualifiers emerge from Europe, further threat to Nigeria’s position also come from Africa where either Tunisia (to be ranked 28th on Monday) or Congo DR (to be FIFA ranked as 35) will emerge from Group A.
Senegal which is set to pick the Africa Group D ticket will also be ranked 32 on Monday thus also pushing Nigeria down in World Cup Draw ranking.
Qualification of either Morocco or Cote d’Ivoire will not affect Nigeria’s position in the overall ranking of qualified teams.
As it is, based on the 23 qualifiers so far, Nigeria will temporarily be in Pot 3, but Pot 4 is the ultimate destination.
Only the Pot 1 is completely established and not open to changes. Those to be there are hosts, Russia, defending champions, Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland and France.
Teams in the same pot will not meet in the group stage of the World Cup.
The Pot 2 potentially has England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Iceland, Costa Rica and Egypt. Changes are expected in this pot as Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Croatia, Northern Ireland, Sweden and Ireland are potential entrants who are currently involved in European play offs.
They will know their opponents on Tuesday when a play off draw will be made at the FIFA headquarters.
Most likely to be in the Pot 4 when all the 32 teams must have emerged next month are: Nigeria, Iran, Serbia, Japan, Panama, Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia.
Significantly, of the 23 teams already assured of a place in the 2018 World Cup, the host country, Russia is the least ranked.
RANKING OF THE WORLD CUP 2018 QUALIFIED TEAMS
1st. Germany
2nd. Brazil
3rd. Portugal
4th. Argentina
5th. Belgium
6th. Poland
7th. France
8th. Spain
12th. England
13th. Colombia
17th. Mexico
18th. Uruguay
21st. Iceland
22nd. Costa Rica
31st. Egypt
34th Iran
38th. Serbia
41st. Nigeria
44th. Japan
49th. Panama
60th. South Korea
61st. Saudi Arabia
63rd. Russia
International Football
Two Moroccan football players lost at sea, says club official
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Abdellatif-Akhrif.png)
Two Moroccan players from top-flight soccer side Ittihad Tanger have been missing at sea since Saturday after strong currents drifted their small yacht, a club official said on Sunday.
They were in a group of five players from the club who went cruising off the northern city of Tangier when strong currents and heavy winds drifted their yacht away as they were swimming in deep waters, club deputy president Anass Mrabet told Reuters.
“Three players have already been rescued on Saturday, while research is still ongoing for the missing Salman Harraq and Abdellatif Akhrif,” he said.
The players did not have buoys on them when they jumped from the small yacht to swim, he said citing recounts by rescued players.
While Akhrif, 24, is already a full member of the squad, Harraq, 18, was about to move up to the senior team this year, Mrabet added.
Ittihad Tanger have been in the Moroccan top flight since 2015 and won the league title for the first and only time in their history in the 2017-18 season. However, they have struggled in the lower half of the standings in recent years.
-Reuters
International Football
FIFA launches ‘Football Manager’ World Cup with $100,000 in prize money
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/arsene-wenger.jpg)
FIFA will host its first ever FIFAe World Cup of Football Manager this year to crown the best virtual manager on the highly-popular video game, world soccer’s governing body said on Thursday.
FIFA is partnering with Sports Interactive, the developers of the game that has sold millions of copies and has also been used by several football clubs to scout players and opponents thanks to its extensive database.
Players will compete for $100,000 in prize money in the final event from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.
“This competition requires participants to demonstrate a profound understanding of football strategy and tactics,” said former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is the ambassador for the esports event.
“Success demands not only mastery of game mechanics but also in-depth football knowledge, making this format a fascinating blend.”
FIFA said in the inaugural year of the event, selected member associations will be invited to be represented at the final event.
Member associations from all six confederations are expected to be invited while players can sign up on FIFA’s website.
-Reuters
International Football
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio robbed at gunpoint
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/baggio.jpg)
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint at his home in northern Italy while watching his country’s match against Spain in the Euro 2024 tournament on Thursday, local police said.
Burglars broke into Baggio’s house near Vicenza, hit him on the head with a gun butt and locked him and his family in a room while they stole jewellery, watches and cash, daily Il Corriere della Sera reported. It said he suffered a deep wound.
“Luckily, the violence I suffered only resulted in a few stitches, bruises and a lot of fear. Now it is to overcome the fear,” Baggio was quoted as saying by Italian news agency ANSA.
Baggio, 57, played for clubs including Juventus (JUVE.MI), opens new tab, AC Milan and Inter Milan. He also played 56 times for Italy, scoring 27 goals, and is widely seen as one of his country’s all-time greats.
After the robbery, Baggio, widely known as the “divine ponytail”, was treated at a local hospital where he received stitches for the head wound, Italian media reported.
Italy lost to Spain 1-0 on Thursday and now must avoid defeat by Croatia to guarantee progression in the tournament.
-Reuters
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