ID :
68630
Thu, 07/02/2009 - 13:12
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/68630
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Socceroos soar to 16th in world rankings
A minnow of international football for so long, the Socceroos have been officially
recognised among the world's elite after their ranking soared to a stunning 16th in
the latest list published by FIFA on Wednesday.
On the back of qualifying for successive World Cups for the first time, Australia
jumped a remarkable 13 places in the monthly list, by far their highest ever
ranking.
The Socceroos are now ranked ahead of a host of nations with rich football
histories, notably one place ahead of European powerhouse Portugal, who boast
arguably the world's best player Cristiano Ronaldo.
They have also overtaken European big guns Czech Republic and Turkey, South American
giants Paraguay and Uruguay, plus every team in Africa.
"We are delighted at this news," Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben
Buckley said.
"Rankings are not the be all and end all of football but they are certainly an
indicator of our progress.
"The more competitive games we play, the greater the opportunity to improve our
position in the world rankings and the more match hardened the team becomes.
"This is a great reward for the Socceroos' form in the qualifying rounds for the
2010 FIFA World Cup.
"Once again, we congratulate coach Pim Verbeek and the players for their efforts."
Australia's cause was helped by a string of impressive results in June in the final
stages of their successful qualification campaign.
A scoreless draw with Qatar in Doha, which sealed their spot for South Africa 2010,
was followed by wins against Bahrain and Japan in Australia.
Socceroos players spoke last month about their disappointment at the lack of credit
they had been given for their emphatic qualification, but they will take solace in
Wednesday's official FIFA recognition.
Even sweeter for the Socceroos is the fact the Japanese, their biggest Asian rivals,
slipped to 40th, leaving them as clearly the best-ranked team in Asia.
Brazil knocked European champions Spain off the top of the rankings following their
win at the Confederations Cup, returning to the No.1 spot for the first time since
August, 2007.
New Zealand, meanwhile, slipped to the 100th spot after a disappointing showing at
the tournament, where they failed to score a goal.
While Australia's progression from the group stage at the 2006 World Cup in Germany
took many by surprise, the latest rankings mean Australia have little hope of flying
under the radar heading into next year's tournament.
Australia will learn their group opponents at the official draw in Cape Town on
December 4.
Buckley recently returned from South Africa and said the early signs were
encouraging for the tournament.
"We can't speak highly enough of the facilities we visited, the people we met and
the atmosphere generated by local supporters at the games," he said.
recognised among the world's elite after their ranking soared to a stunning 16th in
the latest list published by FIFA on Wednesday.
On the back of qualifying for successive World Cups for the first time, Australia
jumped a remarkable 13 places in the monthly list, by far their highest ever
ranking.
The Socceroos are now ranked ahead of a host of nations with rich football
histories, notably one place ahead of European powerhouse Portugal, who boast
arguably the world's best player Cristiano Ronaldo.
They have also overtaken European big guns Czech Republic and Turkey, South American
giants Paraguay and Uruguay, plus every team in Africa.
"We are delighted at this news," Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben
Buckley said.
"Rankings are not the be all and end all of football but they are certainly an
indicator of our progress.
"The more competitive games we play, the greater the opportunity to improve our
position in the world rankings and the more match hardened the team becomes.
"This is a great reward for the Socceroos' form in the qualifying rounds for the
2010 FIFA World Cup.
"Once again, we congratulate coach Pim Verbeek and the players for their efforts."
Australia's cause was helped by a string of impressive results in June in the final
stages of their successful qualification campaign.
A scoreless draw with Qatar in Doha, which sealed their spot for South Africa 2010,
was followed by wins against Bahrain and Japan in Australia.
Socceroos players spoke last month about their disappointment at the lack of credit
they had been given for their emphatic qualification, but they will take solace in
Wednesday's official FIFA recognition.
Even sweeter for the Socceroos is the fact the Japanese, their biggest Asian rivals,
slipped to 40th, leaving them as clearly the best-ranked team in Asia.
Brazil knocked European champions Spain off the top of the rankings following their
win at the Confederations Cup, returning to the No.1 spot for the first time since
August, 2007.
New Zealand, meanwhile, slipped to the 100th spot after a disappointing showing at
the tournament, where they failed to score a goal.
While Australia's progression from the group stage at the 2006 World Cup in Germany
took many by surprise, the latest rankings mean Australia have little hope of flying
under the radar heading into next year's tournament.
Australia will learn their group opponents at the official draw in Cape Town on
December 4.
Buckley recently returned from South Africa and said the early signs were
encouraging for the tournament.
"We can't speak highly enough of the facilities we visited, the people we met and
the atmosphere generated by local supporters at the games," he said.
