Spain stay top as afghanistan rise in FIFA ranking

BERNE: Spain stayed top of the FIFA rankings on Wednesday as the 10 top places remained unchanged, while Afghanistan reached their highest-ever position.

Afghanistan’s 1-0 win over Sri Lanka in one of only a handful of internationals played in the last month was enough to lift them to 164th.

Afghanistan have won three matches this year — the other two were against tiny Bhutan — to double their number of victories since they started playing international football in 1948.

At the top, Netherlands are second behind world and European champions Spain with Brazil third, Germany fourth and Argentina fifth.

Ghana (15th) are Africa’s highest-ranked team while Japan (14th) are the top Asian side.
Six teams share 202nd and last place — Andorra, San Marino, Anguilla, Montserrat, American Samoa and Papua New Guinea.

Rankings (last month’s positions in brackets)
1. (1) Spain
2. (2) Netherlands
3. (3) Brazil
4. (4) Germany
5. (5) Argentina
6. (6) England
7. (7) Uruguay
8. (8) Portugal
9. (9) Italy
10.(10) Croatia

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Pakistani footballers break in to international scene

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani footballers Naveed Akram and Mahmood Ali of Wapda FC have become the first two footballers in over four decades to accept offers to play in foreign football leagues.

Both Naveed and Mahmood have signed two-month loan contracts with Saraswoti Youth Club (SYC) of Nepal for the 2011 Nepal Martyr’s Memorial A-Division League campaign which is already underway.

The loan periods began mid-May and ends in mid-July 2011, which coincides with the final two months of the three month long Nepal A-Division League season, with the top eight teams out of eighteen will then play in the Nepal National League 2011, according to a press release.

Midfield maestro Mahmood Ali from Quetta and dynamic fullback Naveed Akram from Multan have expressed their desire to make all Pakistani football fans proud by giving their best in Nepal.

Naveed said that this is an honour for him and Mahmood to be given the chance to play in a foreign league to really experience international club football.

“It was my dream as a footballer to play outside Pakistan and I am thankful to SYC and the people at both GoalNepal.Com and FootballPakistan.Com (FPDC) for helping both of us to avail this golden opportunity.”

The two Wapda starters have managed to complete all required NOCs (No Objection Certificates) from Wapda Sports Board and the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), as well as contract signing for registration with All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and are hopeful to be eligible to make their debut in SYC’s next game against rivals Brigade Boys Club.

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FIFA to probe whistleblower over 2022 claim

ZURICH: Sepp Blatter has said FIFA will interview a whistleblower at the centre of newspaper allegations that Qatar paid two members of the executive committee to vote for their bid to host the 2022 World Cup. 

“We have organised and the newspaper have agreed (that) we will bring this whistleblower to Zurich and then we will have a discussion, an investigation,” the FIFA president told reporters on Thursday.    

Last Tuesday, a British parliamentary inquiry into why England failed to secure the 2018 finals was told by member of parliament Damian Collins there was evidence from the Sunday Times newspaper that Issa Hayatou of Cameroon and Jacques Anouma of the Ivory Coast were paid by Qatar.        

Qatar, chosen in December to host the 2022 World Cup ahead of United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea, have categorically denied the allegations.     

“I haven’t identified the general whistleblower, for the time being, we have no name – if it is man, or woman,” said Blatter.          

“It will be the relevant authorities, in FIFA which handles such cases, the secretary general (Jerome Valcke).    

“We have to deal with this matter and solve this matter in the Congress.”          

Blatter, who stands for re-election against Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam on June 1, insisted that FIFA wanted the matter clarified by the end of next week.    

“We must know if the allegations are true or not true or unproven. If they are not true, then this case is over.     

“Then we will see which instrument will work, it is of paramount importance that we have this situation clarified on the 27th

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PFF postpones pakistan,s tour to palestine

LAHORE: After failing to get the No-Objection Certificate from the Palestine government, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has decided to postpone national team’s two-match tour to the Arabian state, which was scheduled to start from May 21.

PFF secretary Col (rtd) Ahmad Yar Lodhi told Dawn that the federation had been waiting for the NoC till Monday but when it received no reply from the Palestine Football Federation, the PFF decided to postpone it for an indefinite period.

He said the security situation of Palestine was not good and that was why its government was reluctant to host any country.

The PFF secretary said the tour could be held in later stages as it had not been cancelled.

He said the tour was important for the national team, which was preparing itself for the World Cup qualifiers.

He said Pakistan would meet Bangladesh in the qualifier on June 29 on their soil and then they would visit Pakistan to play the next match on July 3.

“To field a well-prepared team against Bangladesh, a series against Palestine would have been useful for us,” the PFF official added.

He said the winners against Bangladesh would face Lebanon, the country which had already qualified for the second round of the qualifiers.

Lodhi said the PFF was trying to give final shape to a series either against Dubai or Qatar as an alternative to the Palestine tour.

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