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HOW THE FIFA RANKING WILL LOOK LIKE ON MONDAY

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Nigeria will move three steps up the FIFA ranking when it is released on Monday. At the moment, the Super Eagles are ranked 44th.

With a flurry of World Cup qualifying matches played last weeks, some changes will be made in the ranking of the countries. However, no significant change at the top as the top six will retain their positions.

But Switzerland, the host country to FIFA, will drop from its current seventh position to 11th. Taking the seventh position is France which moves a step up the ladder. Spain will move from 11th position to eighth.

In Africa, Egypt may have picked its first World Cup ticket in 27 years, but they are upstaged in FIFA ranking by fellow Maghreb country, Tunisia which seats atop of CAF ranking.

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Tunisia, the first African country to win a World Cup match in 1978 looks set for qualification in Africa’s last qualification match day next month.

Egypt now place second followed by Senegal which just need to win one of its two matches with South Africa to qualify for the World Cup.

Congo DR, struggling with Tunisia in Group A for World Cup qualification, will be ranked 35th in the world but fourth in Africa. Congo DR as Zaire is seeking a return to the world stage after a disastrous outing at West Germany 1974 where it recorded one of the worst results in World Cup history, a 0-9 loss to the then Yugoslavia, the birth country of its coach, Blagoje Vidinić.

Nigeria will be ranked fifth in Africa and followed by eastern neighbours, Cameroon. Algeria, the hitherto leading country in the continent some months ago, has dropped significantly to 65th in the world and 13th in Africa behind Guinea and Cape Verde.

 

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PERMUTATION OF POSSIBLE FIFA RANKING ON MONDAY

  1. Germany
  2. Brazil
  3. Portugal
  4. Argentina
  5. Belgium
  6. Poland
  7. France
  8. Spain
  9. Chile
  10. Peru
  11. Switzerland
  12. England
  13. Colombia
  14. Wales
  15. Italy
  16. Denmark
  17. Mexico
  18. Uruguay
  19. Croatia
  20. Holland
  21. Iceland
  22. Costa Rica
  23. Northern Ireland
  24. Slovakia
  25. Sweden
  26. Ireland
  27. USA
  28. Tunisia
  29. Scotland
  30. Ukraine
  31. Egypt
  32. Senegal
  33. Turkey
  34. Iran
  35. Congo DR
  36. Bulgaria
  37. Paraguay
  38. Serbia
  39. Austria
  40. Bosnia Herzegovina
  41. Nigeria
  42. Cameroon
  43. Australia
  44. Japan
  45. Romania
  46. Czech
  47. Greece
  48. Morocco
  49. Panama
  50. Bolivia
  51. Venezuela
  52. Ghana
  53. Montenegro
  54. Burkina Faso
  55. Haiti
  56. China
  57. Jamaica
  58. Ecuador
  59. Cote d’Ivoire
  60. South Korea
  61. Saudi Arabia
  62. Cape Verde
  63. Russia
  64. Guinea
  65. Algeria
  66. Slovenia
  67. Albania
  68. Uzbekistan
  69. Cyprus

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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International Football

German Thomas Tuchel becomes 3rd foreign manager for England

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 - Bayern Munich v VfL Wolfsburg - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - May 12, 2024 Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel looks on before the match REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth/File Photo

Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been named the new head coach of the England national team, the country’s Football Association said in a statement on Wednesday.

The German, who is England’s third foreign manager, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, will be assisted by Englishman Anthony Barry, the statement added.

“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.

Tuchel replaces Lee Carsley, England’s under-21 manager, who has been in temporary charge since the resignation of Gareth Southgate after England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.

-Reuters

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Factbox on England head coach Thomas Tuchel

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Champions League - Bayern Munich Training - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - May 7, 2024 Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel on the pitch during a walk around REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo

German Thomas Tuchel has been appointed head coach of the England national team on Wednesday.

Born: Aug. 29, 1973 in Krumbach, Germany.

PLAYING CAREER

* Tuchel played for his local club TSV Krumbach, before moving to FC Augsburg’s academy at the age of 15.

* He never played for Augsburg’s senior side and joined German second division team Stuttgarter Kickers in 1992.

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* After eight league appearances for Kickers, Tuchel moved to fourth-tier SSV Ulm.

* Tuchel made 69 league appearances for Ulm as a central defender before he was forced to retire in 1998 at the age of 25 due to a knee injury.

COACHING CAREER

* Tuchel began his coaching career with a youth team role at VfB Stuttgart in 2000, working with future Germany internationals Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber.

* He returned to Augsburg and took charge of their reserve team for the 2007-08 season.

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* Tuchel was appointed Mainz 05 manager in 2009, replacing compatriot Juergen Klopp.

* He guided Mainz to Bundesliga stability during his five-year stint at the club, gaining plaudits for his team’s high energy, attacking style of play.

* Tuchel took over from Klopp as Borussia Dortmund coach in 2015.

* He led Dortmund to a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2017 German Cup final. He was sacked by Dortmund three days later.

* Tuchel joined Paris St Germain in 2018 on a two-year contract, replacing Unai Emery.

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* He won two Ligue 1 titles, including a domestic quadruple in his second season, and guided the club to their first Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

* Tuchel was sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve in 2020, despite the club finishing top of their Champions League group and sitting third in the Ligue 1 table.

* He was named Chelsea manager in January 2021 on an initial 18-month contract following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.

* Tuchel revived the team’s Premier League season and guided the London club to the Champions League final, where they beat Manchester City. Chelsea also won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.

* Chelsea sacked Tuchel in September 2022 following a shock 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in their opening Champions League group game.

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* Bayern Munich appointed Tuchel to succeed Julian Nagelsmann in March last year.

* Bayern decided to let Tuchel go at the end of the 2023-24 season despite a contract until 2025. Tuchel steered Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022-23, but they finished the last campaign without any silverware for the first time in more than a decade.

* Tuchel will become England’s third foreign manager after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.

* Tuchel will take over the team in January ahead of the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.

-Reuters

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Portugal call up same player named in England Under-18 squad

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Mateus Mane in England's colour

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.

Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.

Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.

He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.

With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.

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Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.

While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.

-Reuters

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