India climbs four spots for its best FIFA ranking in 21 years

On the back of eight back-to-back victories, the Indian National football team has achieved its best-ever FIFA ranking since February 1996

Published : Jul 06, 2017 14:50 IST

The Indian football team, currently ranked 96th in the world, has achieved an upturn in fortunes since the last year
The Indian football team, currently ranked 96th in the world, has achieved an upturn in fortunes since the last year
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The Indian football team, currently ranked 96th in the world, has achieved an upturn in fortunes since the last year

On the back of eight back-to-back victories in the last 12 months, the Indian National football team has achieved its best-ever FIFA ranking since February 1996. The side was placed 96th when the July FIFA rankings were released on Thursday. Subsequently, Team India is placed 12th in the AFC.

India’s best-ever FIFA ranking till date was 94 which was attained in February 1996 while 99 stayed India’s second-best FIFA ranking which was also achieved in November 1993.

Indian football and the National team have been on an upsurge with a string of good results leading to a climb of 77 places in FIFA rankings over the last two years. The team has now won 13 of its last 15 matches and are unbeaten in the last 8 matches (including the unofficial match against Bhutan).

India was ranked 171 when Constantine took over as National Coach for the second time in February 2015 and slipped further to 173 in March 2015 in the FIFA ladder even before Constantine could have his first game in charge against Nepal, which India eventually won 2-0 on aggregate.

Constantine: 'I've always had an emotional attachment with India'

Congratulating the Team, AIFF President Mr. Praful Patel said: “It’s a giant leap of faith for Indian Football. Two years back, we were 173 and now we have reached our second best FIFA ranking ever. The leap signifies the potential of Indian football. Congratulations to the National team boys, the Coach, the staff and all in AIFF.”

Kushal Das, General Secretary, All India Football Federation (AIFF), stated: “This comes as a huge boost ahead of our next AFC Asian Cup qualifying match against Macau on September 5, 2017. Hats off to the Team for giving it their all in achieving this milestone. Qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup 2019 stays our top priority.”

Upcoming challeneges

National Coach Stephen Constantine stated: “When I took over, I had mentioned that my target was to bring India below 100. I am happy to have played a small part in this process. Kudos to the boys, the staff and a big thank you to my colleagues in AIFF for supporting us all throughout. I also need to thank Mr. Patel and Mr. Das for their trust in allowing me to do things in the manner I wanted.”

“But the present FIFA spot doesn’t mean that we have achieved much. We need to stay focused on the upcoming challenges.”

A qualification spot in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 is what the AIFF aims at this moment. That would be India’s second AFC Asian Cup stint in 8 years, the last being in Doha in 2011.

Sports Minister lauds football team

Sports Minister Vijay Goel lauded the team for achieving its best-ever FIFA ranking in two decades and asked the players to stay focussed on the challenges that lay ahead.

“We are going through a golden period of football and the best is yet to come. The present FIFA spot doesn’t mean that we have achieved much. We need to stay focused on the upcoming challenges,” Goel said in a statement.

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