FIFA’s Team of the Year

Football’s world governing body, FIFA, ranks member countries according to the number of official international matches they have played. The world ranking was first introduced in 1993 and it determines the positions of national teams on a monthly basis.

The year 2007 ended on a high note for Argentina, topping for the first time the end-of-year rankings thus becoming FIFA’s Team of the Year, world football’s number one superpower. The Argentinian’s previous highest finish was in 2001 where they got 2nd place. They first took the top spot last March and after changing hands six times, Argentina slammed the other pretenders to the throne.

Argentina thus joins a very elite cast at year end that includes Brazil, Germany and France after the introduction of the world rankings in 1993. Since their 11th place finish in July 2004, the Argentinians are always on the world’s top ten.

On second spot is Brazil and no other team is more consistent than the Samba Boys. The Brazilians have never been ranked lower than 9th and aside from ranking third in 1993 and 2001, they always occupy the top spot. Brazil ranked first from 1994 to 2000 and from 2002 to 2006.

Following the two South American teams are Italy, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Portugal, the Netherlands and Greece - all EUFA side teams who make up the top ten. With the exception of Spain and Greece, these teams also figured in the top ten in 2006. Spain is back on the list after their 4th place finish in 2005.

Europe dominates the ladder board that Ghana is the next non-European team found at 14th place. Rounding up the bottom ten is England at 11th followed by Croatia, Romania, Ghana, Scotland, Mexico, Cameroon, Turkey, Bulgaria and Poland.

The highest ranked Asian team is Japan at 35th spot followed by Australia at 38th, Iran at 39th and South Korea at 41st. In May of 2007, the Philippines ranked 168. Of the 200 or so FIFA member countries, we are now ranked 190th.

It is very lamentable considering the fact that we have all the materials to excell in the sport. School-based tournaments produces top talents but after graduation, then what? There simply are no sponsors to sustain the interest. The sport dies after college ball as there never were organized big-time commercial leagues to begin with and it is disheartening to see talent go stale.

When international tournaments are in the offing, we always make do with quick fixes and load the national team with foreign-born and bred half-Filipinos and promptly declare the team formidable. And where are these hyped-up athletes now? In all fairness, these guys are good but in order to be a cohesive unit, the team must be together for at least six months before entertaining any thoughts of competing. Cohesion means consistency and consistency means victory. Only then can we say that the team is formidable.

Until the powers-that-be of our national football body adopt some kind of a system for long-term development, Philippine football will continue to wallow in the quagmire of mediocrity.

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If beach volleyball is your thing, the M. Lhuillier-sponsored tournament will spike off this morning at Wiggy’s Beach Resort in Liloan. This will serve as the qualifiers for the national tilt at Boracay this coming May. Guys, just don’t go crazy staring at all those legs. These ladies pack a mean wallop. Beware, they might mistake your face for a volleyball.           

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