Sports

FIFA Ranking: Super Falcons slip by 7 spots, now world 46th

Published

2 years ago

August 6, 2022

The Super Falcons of Nigeria have dropped by seven spots in the July FIFA Ranking, to be placed 46th, after ending 4th at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

In the ranking table published on the website of the world football governing body on Friday, Nigeria garnered 1535.09 points in the month under review and lost 69.33 points, which is the biggest decline in terms of points.

It was recalls that the former African champions surprisingly went down 1-0 to the She-polopolo of Zambia in the match for the third place match of 2022 WAFCON.

At the continental level, the drop in spot however did not displace the Falcons as the 1st placed team in Africa with the current WAFCON winner, South Africa placed 2nd.

Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast are the 3rd, 4th and 5th placed teams, respectively.

South Africa (54th, plus 4) moved up four places on the back of their title triumph at the 2022 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Semi-finalists at that tournament, Zambia (80th, plus 23) are this edition’s most-improved side after surging 23 places.

At the global scene, July 2022 was a busy month for women’s football, with five major tournaments taking place across the globe.

In addition to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, continental championships were held in Africa, South America, North America and Oceania, all serving as qualifying events for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™.

Since 17 June 2022, when the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking was last published, no fewer than 221 matches have been played, generating considerable movement in the standings.

And while USA (1st), recent winners of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship, remain the team to catch, the Stars and Stripes have a new pursuer in the shape of Germany (2nd, plus 3).

The EURO 2022 runners-up move ahead of Sweden (3rd, minus 1), whose own European title ambitions came to an end in the semi-finals.

Freshly crowned continental champions, England (4th, plus 4) moved up four places ahead of France (5th, minus 2).

Drops for the Netherlands (6th, minus 2), Canada (7th, minus 1), and Spain (8th, minus 1) are the other significant changes in this edition’s Top 10.

Another notable improver in this edition is Jamaica, who achieved their highest-ever placing (42nd, plus 9), following their third-place at the Concacaf Championship.

Also enjoying all-time highs are Iceland (14th, plus 3), the Republic of Ireland (26th, plus 1), Portugal (27th, plus 3) and Zambia.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that four new teams have joined the Ranking since June 2022 namely Cambodia (120th), Turkmenistan (137th) Timor-Leste (152nd) and Guinea-Bissau (169th), giving the August 2022 edition a record-breaking 185 FIFA member associations.

Sports

Transfer: Napoli consider Moffi as replacement for Osimhen

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2024

NewsDirect

Napoli are considering a move for Terem Moffi as a potential replacement for Victor Osimhen.

Osimhen looks set to leave the former Serie A champions in the summer. The Partenopei could bring in Moffi as a replacement for the former Lille striker.

Moffi has enjoyed a prolific campaign for Ligue 1 club, OGC Nice. The 23-year-old has already scored 11 goals for Nice this season.

The Nigerian is under contract at the club until 2027.

His compatriot Victor Boniface and Bologna star, Joshua Zirkzee, have also been linked with Napoli.

Sports

Gusau backs Falcons to shine at Olympics

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2024

NewsDirect

The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, is optimistic the Super Falcons will derive inspiration from their impressive performance at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand when they compete at the women’s football event of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Nigeria are pitted against Spain, Brazil, and Japan in a tough Group C of the tournament, which begins July 25, a day before the opening ceremony of the Games, and will run until August 10, when the Games come to an end.

The Falcons booked their spot at the Games for the first time since 2008 by defeating rivals South Africa 1-0 on aggregate in the final qualifying round.

The team’s coach, Randy Waldrum, has labelled their group the “group of death,” but Gusau believes the 11-time African champions can replicate their 2023 Women’s World Cup form, where they bowed out on penalties against England in the round of 16, having held Olympic champions Canada and Northern Ireland, and beating co-hosts Australia.

“We’ll try to improve on our World Cup performance, where we crashed out without losing a single game during regulation time. The girls have shown resilience and determination to qualify for the Olympics against all odds, and I trust them to carry that same spirit to the Games in Paris,” Gusau said.

Gusau is also setting his sights on the podium in Paris.

“After a performance at the World Cup in Australia or New Zealand, I know none of the teams in our group will take us for granted. We want to qualify from the group stage and target the semi-finals, which puts us in the medal range. I believe the team will do well in Paris and return to the country with medals on their necks. Missing three previous Olympic qualifications will motivate the girls to make their mark in Paris,” he added.