Maldives run with the wind

The tiny Indian Ocean nation of Maldives may be more famous as an idyllic getaway than a footballing powerhouse. However, in recent times football has been taking an increasing hold in the archipelago. Maldives soared nine places to 149 in May's FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking courtesy of some inspiring performances in April's qualifying for the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup.

Although not the highest position reached in the global pecking order, [they hit 126 in July 2006] it is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement for a tiny nation where registered players number just a few thousand.

The country's current placing also indicative of steady improvement over the last decade, marking an improvement of 34 places above their lowest ebb in August 1997 when they languished at 183. Making for even more impressive reading is the fact that Maldives have leapfrogged the likes of Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan to rank 25 amongst the AFC's 46 nations.

Qualifying near-miss
The Maldives stunned many onlookers last year when they defeated India by a solitary goal in the final to lift the 2008 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship trophy. Boosted by the unprecedented success, the islanders looked to transform their regional triumph onto the continental stage when they played hosts to the recent AFC Challenge Cup qualifying campaign.

Their ambitions, however, were dealt a serious blow when they suffered an opening 3-1 defeat to Turkmenistan. Under Hungarian mentor Istvan Urbanyi, Maldives bounced back to overcome Philippines 3-2 in the second game before firing five unanswered goals against Bhutan to round off their campaign in style.

Despite the two late victories, their opening loss to Turkmenistan proved fatal with the Central Asians progressing to the continental finals at the expense of the host nation. Of greater disappointment though was conceding the runners-up berth to Bangladesh, who narrowly advanced to the by virtue of superior goal difference.

Fazeel the talisman
While the Maldives had again failed to secure a maiden appearance on the continental stage their fans were there were a number of positives. Aside from the hosts side's excellent display, striker Ibrahim Fazeel displayed an eye for goal by netting four times to top the team's scoring chart.

The 28-year-old opened his account against Turkmenistan, pulling one back for the hosts after they were two goals down, only to see the strongly-favoured visitors coasting to an opening win. The Victory SC marksman was on target again in their defeat of the Philippines before completing a brace in their demolition of Bhutan. The other stand-out was captain Ali Ashfaq, who grabbed three goals in as many games as Fazeel's attacking partner.

In the centre of the park, midfielder Mukhthar Naseer, who scored the title-winning goal against India in last year's SAFF Championship final, further enhanced his reputation as a scorer of crucial goals by grabbing the winner against the Philippines.

With a steady increase in both talent and performance, the Maldives are proving more than just an irritation, a point borne out in their qualifying campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ when they held Korea Republic to a surprise goalless draw. Despite their near-miss in their AFC Challenge Cup bid, it seems that they are set to continue to progress and break new ground in the coming months and years.

Source: fifa.com

Sriwijaya FC Eyes Osaka Surprise; PSMS Ready for Maldives Mystery

Sriwijaya FC’s chances of reaching the Asian Champions League knockout phase are remote, but remote does not mean that it’s impossible.

Having suffered two heavy defeats, the Indonesian double winner faces its toughest test yet as it travels to face defending ACL champion Gamba Osaka at Expo ‘70 Stadium on Wednesday.

Regardless of the odds, Sriwijaya head coach Rahmad Darmawan said his side will complete its first continental campaign with dignity.

“I know we only have a slight chance to make it into the next round. And we face the toughest battle against the defending champion, Gamba Osaka, at its home ground,” Rahmad said. “But we have a serious intention to cause a big surprise by, at least, holding them to a draw and taking a point home.”

Just like the club’s trip to Jinan, China, for its March 17 match against Shandong Luneng, cold weather could be a factor. Arriving early could have helped the players adjust to the 17-degree temperatures, but financial considerations kept the team from leaving for Osaka until Sunday.

“I wish we could have arrived earlier, but I have to consider the club's financial burden,” the coach said. “I hope the players can adjust themselves quite quickly to the weather.”

Sriwijaya will receive a lift as first choice goalkeeper Ferry Rotinsulu returns to the squad. He is still nursing a knee injury, though, so Rahmad will keep faith with Indonesian under-23 goalkeeper Dede Sulaiman.

The South Sumatra-based club is last in Group F, having lost 4-2 at home to FC Seoul and 5-0 at Shandong. After its trip to Japan, it hosts Gamba on April 21 before rounding out group play at Seoul on May 5 and hosting Shandong on May 20.

In Wednesday’s other Group F match, Shandong hosts FC Seoul at the Shandong Sports Center in Jinan.

While its Sumatra neighbor struggles to make its way in the Champions League, PSMS Medan will attempt to continue its continental success when it hosts V.B. of the Maldives today at Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang, South Sumatra.

New PSMS head coach Rudy Keltjes said he had little information on the visitors.

“I have no idea about the Maldives club at all. I met them at the press conference, and I could tell they have big and strong players,” the club’s fifth coach this season said on Monday. “I know they're just behind us, but we can't take them for granted.”

Rudy took over for interim coach Liestiadi last week. He said he would field his best lineup, including goalkeeper Markus Horison, who was benched against Deltras Sidoarjo after a shaky performance in PSMS’s 2-2 Indonesian Super League draw with PSM Makassar.

“Yes, I will put Markus back in goal. He's ready to get back into action,” he said. “But I still have a handicap as we don't have good goal-getters.”

PSMS is second in Group F with three points after its 3-1 defeat of Malaysian side Johor FC on March 17. V.B., which opened group play with a 0-0 draw at Johor, is third with one point.

After today’s fixtures, PSMS travels to Male’s National Stadium on April 21 to play V.B.

Hong Kong’s South China FC, which has already won 3-0 at home against PSMS and 2-1 away to V.B., hosts Johor today at Mongkok Stadium.

Source: thejakartaglobe.com

Top ten Asian players of 2008

Asia Editor of goal.com John Duerden rates the best 10 Asian performers of the outgoing year...

10. Ali Ashfaq (VB Sports & Maldives)

The Man of Steel was once linked to a move to Europe and although it didn't quite happen, he hasn't looked back. Regarded by many in South Asia as the best player in the region, the striker is improving all the time. The 23 year-old shone during Maldives' recent South Asian Cup triumph and was named as the tournament's MVP. He wasn't ready for Benfica before -he may be now.

9. Ahmed Ajab (Al Qadsia & Kuwait)

The most expensive player in Kuwait history has enjoyed another prolific season. This is a guy who just scores goals. The 24 year-old only made his international debut in January and hasn't stopped scoring since.

Although Kuwait fell at the third stage of qualification for the 2010 World Cup, Ahmad scored six of the team's eight goals. He was the top scorer in the Kuwait league last season, scored three in the Asian Champions League and is on the shopping list of some of the region's big clubs.

8. Hong Yong-jo (FC Rostov & North Korea)

It is North Korea's defence or 'The People's Rooney' Jung Tae-se that take the headlines whenever the Reds do the business on the pitch. That backline kept six clean sheets out of six third round games but it is the presence of Hong that allows the team to play the way they do. Comfortable on the ball, intelligent in possession and handy from the set piece, the Russian-based star is one of those players who seems to have more time on the ball and brings others into the game.

7. Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic & Japan)

Not Naka's best season for the Bhoys but still pretty good nonetheless. Once again, his goals and assists helped the team to another title –though it was a close-run thing. Has struggled with niggling injuries and jetlag and rumours of a return to Japan have never been far away. It is a testament to his ability then that he still impressed.

Japan coach Takeshi Okada went to Bahrain without Nakamura, preferring to leave him in Scotland. Japan lost that game in March and Okada has not made the same mistake again.

6. Hawar Mulla Mohammad (Anorthosis Famagusta FC & Iraq)

Hawar and Iraq didn't quite reach the heights of 2007 but he was still one of the better Desert Foxes in the third round of qualification. Scoring against China and creating for others.

His year will best be remembered for becoming the first Iraqi to play and score in the UEFA Champions League. It was a breathless six games in the group stage for the Cypriots. Hawar was on the scoresheet on a wild Wednesday night in Nicosia as Anorthosis beat Panathinaikos 3-1. The Cypriots collected six points, only two less than Inter Milan. That 3-3 draw will also live long in the memory.

5. Server Djeparov (Bunyodkor & Uzbekistan)

Was named the player of the year by the Asian Football Confederation and Djeparov certainly had a season to remember. The cultured midfielder pulled the strings for both club and country. Uzbekistan stormed through the third round of qualification in impressive fashion – scoring goals left right and centre. The final round has not, as yet, been quite so impressive but there is still time.

The Uzbek player of 2008 also shone for Bunyodkor. He led the Tashkent club to the title and to the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League. Within two weeks of becoming coach in the capital, Zico declared his belief that the 26 year-old has what it takes to succeed in Europe. He may soon get the chance with a trial at Chelsea.

4. Javad Nekounam (Osasuna & Iran)

A serious injury blighted the first quarter of 2008 but on his return the all-action midfielder showed why he had been voted the player of the year the previous season by Osasuna fans. His return to action for Iran came just in time as he helped a stuttering team through to the final round of qualification. He is, as he demonstrated against Saudi Arabia, always liable to pop up with a goal at a crucial time.

Nekounam has been doing the same of late as Osasuna struggle to improve upon a terrible start to the season. If the Pamplona club survives, you can be sure that the Iranian man will have played his part.

3. Brett Emerton (Blackburn & Australia)

More column inches are devoted to the likes of Tim Cahill, Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell when it comes to discussing the Socceroos but Brett Emerton is as reliable a player as there is and is a coach's dream. He hardly misses a match, gets up and down the pitch in impressive fashion and even pitched in with a few vital goals in qualification. He helped Blackburn to a seventh place finished at the end of the 2007-08 season and has been one of the team's better performers in this campaign.

2. Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka & Japan)

The modest midfielder would not have imagined at the start of 2008 that he would be lauded by such figures as Sir Alex Ferguson before the year was out. The Manchester United boss paid tribute to the Japanese star before FIFA's Club World Cup and after. Endo's arrival on the world stage comes a few years after he first started getting noticed in Asia. He led Gamba Osaka to the Asian Champions League and was once again one of the best when pulling on the blue shirt of his country. He wants a move to Europe and he may just be about to get it.

1. Park Ji Sung (Manchester United & South Korea)

It is easy to forget that Park started 2008 returning from a lengthy and serious knee injury that briefly threatened to end his career. He was better than ever when he came back and had a season that is better than any other Asian.

Not only was Park instrumental in United's charge to the Premier League title, he was man of the match against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-final and played all 360 minutes in the last four and last eight games. The 27 year-old was left out of the final but deserved his medal. He ended the year lifting the Club World Cup.

Internationally was not bad either, he took the captaincy halfway through the year and led the Taeguk Warriors to a good start in the final round of qualification.

Source: sport.uzreport.com

Oppo Likely To Be Highest Paid Player

The man who scored twenty goals this time to top the goal scorer list is none other than Maldives hotcake Ibrahim Fazeel a.k.a Oppo, whose demand has gone higher in Maldives football.

According to the maldivesoccer.com, Victory striker Ibrahim Fazeel’s (Oppo) price has reached more than 400,000 rufiyaa per season. Victory is yet to come to an agreement with the prolific striker but the club insisted that they will offer him a price worth his caliber.

Oppo’s price was somewhere around 300,000 rufiyaa when he moved to Victory from VB last season. But there are also reports that said his price is now at somewhere around 500,000 and some of the bigger clubs are already lined up to get his signature.

Oppo happened to be the second player during this year’s transfer market that put a price tag of more than 400,000. Lately Valencia’s winger Mukhthar Naseer joined Victory at a price believed to be more than 450,000 per season.

Oppo is the only player to win the golden boot in three consecutive years with three different clubs. However the report suggests that Oppo expressed his desire to stay with Victory for another season.

Oppo came into spotlight in 1997 as a student when he was included in Maldives senior national team. After the studies he joined New Lagoons, a club later renamed to IFC, and then he made a brave move to New Radiant and enjoyed a historical season with the blues that reach AFC cup semi finals in 2005.

Source: www.goal.com

Slovakian Team Interested In Maldives Duo

The Slovakian league side FK Dubnica in on the trail of Maldives duo Ali Ashfaag and Mohamed Arif.

nadey maldives ashfag & arif keep it up.dont miss this chance.go europe & show then your telent

Masood Maldives Ashfaq, you are the best! Go Europe and show them what Maldivinas are capable of. :)

yasrib forkland, maldives its really nice to hear. Keep it up Ashfag. You are a world class player. We are proud of you.


SHAHID AMERICA CALFONIA ASFAQ KEEP IT UP.U ARE THE WORLD CLASS PLAYER.U ARE THE EUROPE STYLE PLAYED PLATER.U ARE THE NO 1 IN THE ASIA.KEEP IT UP.I LOVE MALDIVES PLAYERS.KEEP IT UP YOUR COUNTRY.YOYR COUNTRY SUPPORTERS ARE THE NO 1 OF THE WORLD

paulo italy work in male maldives oh well i think thats great news for ali ashfaaq.for sure i saw how great he's played hes game. you knew i don't like asian foot ball but i like to see the games he play.good luck boy.

Mohd Maldives Ashfaq, you are the best

Win Maldives Ashfaag please do not miss the oportunity. it is a time that you can prove to the world that you are the best out of all. you can challenge to the players from europe.. why not.. you have gott every thing to beat them... we all are with you..

wisemen Maldives Maldives is a tiny island nation in the Indian Ocean. We Maldivians are crazy about football. unfortunately Fk Dubnicia had lost the game they played in the Maldives. we are the champions of this region (India,Pakistan,Bangladhesh,Nepal, Sri Lanka) we've beaten them all. What do you now about The Maldives

michael italia im a retired italian footballer and i happend to be in the maldives at the time of the SAFF championships. i try to stay away from football but surely the football fever in the maldives was hard to stay away from.. i ended up watching the maldivian games with maldivians and i do admit that this ashfaa guy is sumthin amazin.. hes a mix of danielle de rossi and antonio cassano from my point of view.. could be the next big thing in Europe give the chance.. who knows? hes got the talent for sure

gui rio what's maldives, hmmmmmmmmmmmm?

andrew slovakia slovakia is in europe :D...but i dont think this league is right for them..but of course dubnica may get them cheap and sell them with tripple of their price

ravi india hei i watched th saff chmpship both of them r outstanding they culd perfm in europe. this is the chance to put maldives in world chart

isam maldives ashfag is wat makes us proud about maldivian football, great player, dont miss this chance dude,

Axaje Hulhudhoo, Maldives Ashfag you are the man Maldives is proud of, now take maldives to the next level of the beautiful game..go join the club vi jankech...this is the best opportunity

jimee Maldives Ashfaq is the bet player in this region. He is a man. He got tellents. He can do. I wanna say bro asfaq dnt loose this oppotunity. Keep it up. This is your carier.

anil maldives ali ashfaaq is the worldclass player......he can play europ big clubs. he is asia no:1 . so why not???

sujan nepal i saw aashfaag play during the asian games. great player

Xigamo maldives They are the best two players in Maldives, So...dont miss this opportunity....this is the time

saif male' pls psl dont miss this opportunity Ashfaag.....i m sure u will get more chances in future. yes thi might b ur gateway...u r a great player.u have enough skills that u can even play with european teams. u know i havent seen a forward like u in this Euro....i m sure u r the best forward in the worl right now. not only asia. surely u will get more chances. show ur tallents and skills to the world.....all the best

jack malaysia both of them plays well n even they can play in europe,it would be a great chance for them tu improve.

goru boki maldives kavi, kaley mihaaru goal.com ga post jahan feshee dho? uhun.. ali umar is the best.. hehe

Nasif Maldives Err im not so sure they want to go.. They wouldn't go to portugal, what makes you think they will go now. They are unbelievably talented and should go now before the door closes on them. Put Maldives on the Map boys!

Makavi Male, Maldives Hi Guys, Don't miss this great great Opportunity. That's right this a Gateway for the Maldivian Players as well. Specially Ashfaq, pls take this opportunity. This will be the Disney of our dreams.

ismail anil maldives Its great news. I guess coach wants them to be on his side when he takes up the director position. Neverthless, it is an opportunity they should not miss. Ashfaq has let gone too many of these wonderful opportunities. Imagine what he would have been if he had gone and played in Portugal with his first opportunity. Guys, please take this opportunity and shine in Europe. We are all behind you. You can always come back. If you guys use this chance, it will be something you are doing for yourself, for your country and the people whom you love. Oportunities don't come knocking at the door too often. Grab it when it does. Good luck.

smith london - it ll be great for u guys dont miss the chance n go ahead.

najeeb maldives - Its another opotunity for ashfaq, he's got quiet few opptunities in last few years especially benfica youth, i think this is a great chance to prove how good they are, coz they are still young and talented. go guys go.

ximan Maldives - PLEASE dont miss this oppotunity, it could be a gateway to another european league too..So give it a try and sharpen your skills, you guys will never be out of place with Jankech in Dubnica.


kavi malaysia surly - ali ashfag is the best in Asia.... just watch his talents

Write your comment on this blog or in source site goal.com

Source: goal.com

Maldives wins 7th SAFF Championship cup

The Maldives won the final of the 7th South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship Saturday night after beating India with 1-0 in Colombo.

It was the first time for the India Ocean archipelago to bag the championship cup since the event started in 1993.

Mukthar Naseer unleashed a powerful shot into India's citadel when the match was into its 88th minute, leaving the defending champion very little time to revenge.

The Maldives' players played well with the presence of Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and thousands of fans from their country.

India won the championship four times in 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2005 while the Maldives emerged runner up in 1997 and 2003.

The winners carried away the SAFF Championship Cup and a purse worth 50,000 U.S. dollars, while the runner-up got 25,000 dollars.

The championship, starting on June 3, was co-hosted by Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Maldives and India made their way to the final after defeating Sri Lanka and Bhutan respectively Wednesday night.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan also participated in this year's championship.

Source: xinhuanet.com

Pakistan cut India,Maldives to size in AFC Football festival

Pakistan put up spirited display to snatch two more wins in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-14 Festival of Football by cutting India and Maldives to size at Teheran’s Shahid Bahonar Stadium on Monday.

According to a message received here,Pak beat India 1-0 on Pitch 1 with the 29^th minute goal when full-back Uzair Qadir slotted the ball home from penalty-mark.

It was the game between B teams of countries from sub-continent in Format I (30 Minutes) match. Both the teams will meet again in 60-minutes (Format II) match tomorrow, Wednesday.

Later on, Pakistan A defeated Maldives 1-0 win at Pitch 2.Front-runner Sher Muhammad scored the solitary goal in the 29^th minute with a brilliant 40-metre drive that beat Maldive’s keeper all ends up.

Meanwhile in the other matches, India B overcame Sri Lanka B 1-0, Nepal B bt Bhutan B in 1-0 win. Iran managed two more triumphs. Their A team brushed aside Afghanistan A while their B team worked hard to edge out Nepal B 1-0.

Eight-nations are participating in the event viz Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and host Iran.

Source: http://www.app.com.pk

India slip one place to 144th in FIFA rankings

India slipped one place to 144th in the first FIFA rankings of the year, released on Wednesday.

India and Yemen swapped places from the 2007 year-end chart and this also means India slipping one place to 27th among the AFC countries.

Despite the one-place loss, it is much a better rank for India as compared to last year beginning when India were ranked 157th in January 2007 chart.

Maldives are the next best South Asian country on 153rd while Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal are at 163rd, 167th, 168th and 186th, respectively.

Among the Asian countries, Japan (34)continued to lead the pack followed by Iran (41 ), Korea(41 ), Australia (48 ) and Saudi Arabia (57).

Meanwhile, Argentina remained the world's highest-ranked team and the rest of the top-15 was also unchanged.

Brazil, Italy, Spain and Germany followed Argentina at the top-five while Czech Republic, France, Portugal, the Netherlands and Croatia make up the lower top-10.

Source: Expressindia.com

Draw ceremony in Maldives on Feb 26: Pakistan will take part in SAFF Championship

Pakistan will be aiming for a gold medal in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship to be jointly hosted by Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Male (Maldives). The eight-nation event will be played from last week of May to first week of June 2008. Pakistan have never won a SAFF title and their only medal was a bronze in Kathmandu in 1997. The final will be held at Colombo’s Sugathadasa Stadium, which has always been a lucky ground for Pakistan. Pakistan have won SAF Games soccer titles in 1991 and 2006 there. Male will host the draw ceremony on February 25, 2008.

“SAFF president Ganesh Thapa (Nepal) and secretary generals of eight participating nations – Manzoor Hassain (Bangladesh), AH Abdul Ghafoor (Maldives), Ahmad Yar Khan Lodhi (Pakistan), Albert Colaco (India), Ugyen Wanchuk (Bhuthan), Mukthar Rustami (Afghanistan), Narendra Shrestha (Nepal) and Hafiz Marikar (Sri Lanka) – will attend the draw ceremony,” a spokesman for the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said on Sunday.

The spokesman said Maldives was a country that had taken great strides in promoting football. “But they are not capable of hosting all matches and Sri Lanka, as a support, decided to jointly conduct this 15-match tourney. The teams will be divided into two groups. Both the nations will host one semi-final. The group matches that involve Maldives will be played in National Stadium Male’ and group matches involving Sri Lanka will be played in Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo,” he added.

World Sports Group (WSG) of Singapore, the sponsors of the Asian soccer since 1992, are the main sponsors of the championship. The sponsors have agreed to offer prize money to the value of $95,000, winner collecting $50,000, runners-up $25,000 and losing semi-finalists $10,000 each. A total of six tournaments have been played previously. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the only three nations who won the tournament.

The SAFF Championship is held biannually to promote the development of football in South Asia. It was launched at Lahore’s Railway Stadium in 1993 as SAARC Gold Cup, but the name was changed in 1997 as the SAFF Championship.

Source: Daily Times

Seedings of 2011 Asian Cup qualifying

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Thursday announced the seeds for qualifying for the 2011 Asian Cup, based on results from the 2007 tournament.

1.Iraq 2.Saudi Arabia 3.South Korea 4.Japan 5.Australia 6.Iran 7.Uzbekistan 8.Vietnam 9.China 10.Thailand 11.Indonesia 12.UAE 13.Bahrain 14.Oman 15.Malaysia 16.Jordan 17.Syria 18.Hong Kong 19.Yemen 20.Kuwait 21.Singapore 22.India 23.Lebanon 24.North Korea 25.Myanmar 26.Maldives 27.Turkmenistan.

In round one, the eight teams ranked 20-27 will be paired into two groups of four with the top two from each group progressing to round two.

The second round will see those four teams joining the 16 teams ranked 4-19, who will be divided into five groups of four.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the tournament along with Iraq. Saudi Arabia and South Korea, who automatically go through after finishing as the top three teams at the 2007 Asian Cup.

AFC Challenge Cup competitions in 2008 and 2010.
The first round draw takes place on Monday, December 17.

Source: AFP

Maldives referees for I-League matches

To ensure a high standard of officiating in the ongoing professional I-League, All India Football Federation has roped in two referees from the Maldives to supervise some of the matches of the competition.

Ali Saleem and Ahmed Ameez will be refereeing some I-League games to be played in Goa between December 9 to 23, a Federation release said on Thursday.

AIFF and the Football Association of Maldives have an exchange programme for referees under which two Indians, S Suresh and Rizwan-ul-Haq, have officiated matches in Maldives this year.

Matches in Indian domestic football are often plagued by disputes over refereeing decisions with players and team managements registering protests over this matter.

Source: India Times Sports

Maldives moves up in FIFA Rankings

Maldives has moved up 25 places in the monthly rankings issued by FIFA, moving to the 149th place. This is the biggest leap that Maldives has ever experienced in FIFA ranking in such a short time. The Maldives National Team had recently won two significant matches, against Yemen in the World Cup Qualifying match in Male’ and against Malaysia in a Friendly match, which contributed to the rise.


Despite the rise, India still holds the lead position in the region in the 145th position, the same position they were in last month. India was knocked-out of the World Cup Qualifying by Lebanon.

Pakistan moved up 15 places to the 166th position while Sri Lanka remains in the 169th place. Bangladesh, which had beat Maldives to win the cup in SAF Championship 2003, fell one place to the 173 position. Nepal is in 187th position, and Afghanistan, the newest addition to the SAARC countries, is in the 189th position. Bhutan brings up the rear in the 198th position.



Source: Haveeru Online and Fifa

Favourites clear first hurdle

The heavyweights all cleared the first hurdle in Asia's 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ qualifying section as brave challenges from a number of underdogs fell short at the weekend. The favourites showed no mercy as they cruised to one-sided victories, with China PR leading the way by putting four unanswered goals past Myanmar to complete an 11-0 aggregate success.

Joining China in qualifying for the next stage were Uzbekistan, who built on their 9-0 first leg win over Chinese Taipei with a 2-0 away win, and Hong Kong, who followed up a slender 3-2 defeat of Timor Leste with a convincing 8-1 triumph in front of their own fans.

Morale-boost for Petrovic
Having won 7-0 on home soil, China were all but assured of progressing ahead of Sunday's return leg. As a result, coach Vladimir Petrovic took the opportunity to test a selection of youngsters as he changed almost the entire starting line-up, with only Zhuang Shuai retaining his place in the side that swept to victory in Foshan.

The Serbian tactician would certainly have been pleased with the start made by his new-look team, who took the lead after only 12 minutes, Wu Weian heading home Hao Junmin's inch-perfect cross from close range. Only two minutes later, the advantage was doubled when Liu Jian fired a low drive into Myanmar's goal. Midfielder Zheng Bin made it 3-0 after 34 minutes before Zhang Yaokun sealed a 4-0 win with a spot-kick four minutes before the break.

Despite the outcome, the fact that his team failed to breach their opponent's rearguard for the entire second half left Petrovic worried about his task, which is guiding the Chinese through to just their second FIFA World Cup finals. "We played good football for only 20 minutes in this game," he said afterwards. "Such an attitude will cost us dear when we play against a stronger side because a football game will not be decided until after 90 minutes."

Dark horses disappoint
Most potential dark horses failed to produce an upset, including Vietnam, who saw their qualifying dreams shattered by a 5-0 loss at the hands of nemesis United Arab Emirates.

UAE managed only a 1-0 win in their first leg meeting but, cheered on by their home supporters in Abu Dhabi, Ismail Matar opened scoring after only 13 minutes for Bruno Metsu's side and Ahmad Al Mahri doubled their lead five minutes before the break. The west Asians continued to dominate in the second half and goals from Mohamed Al Shehhi, Nawaf Al Darmaki and Saeed Al Kass sealed an emphatic victory and a place in the next stage.

With the set of matches absent of an upset, it was two South Asia outsiders that gave the most impressive accounts of themselves. Despite playing with little hope of advancing following a 7-0 defeat by Iraq in their first leg, Pakistan claimed a 0-0 draw to earn the respect of their rivals.

For their part, Maldives, who lost their first leg 3-0 to Yemen, came close to pulling off a shock by beating Yemen 2-0 at home, although ultimately the result proved sufficient for the west Asians to advance.

Source: Fifa

Maldives goes down nine step in fifa world ranking

Full Fifa world rankings

Fifa world rankings (with rise or fall in position in parentheses)

1 Argentina (+1)

2 Brazil (+1)

3 Italy (-2)

4 France (+2)

5 Germany (-1)

6 Spain (+1)

7 Netherlands (-2)

8 Portugal (-)

9 Czech Republic (+2)

10 Croatia (-)

11 England (-2)

12 Romania (-)

13 Scotland (+1)

14 Greece (+1)

15 Mexico (-2)

16 Russia (+10)

17 Uruguay (+2)

18 USA (-)

19 Nigeria (+4)

20 Poland (-4)

21 Norway (+8)

22 Ukraine (-5)

23 Cameroon (+2)

24 Sweden (-4)

25 Colombia (-1)

26 Paraguay (+5)

27 Serbia (-5)

28 Turkey (-7)

29 Denmark (-1)

30 Japan (+4)

31 Guinea (-1)

32 Republic of Ireland (-)

32 Côte d'Ivoire (-5)

34 Bulgaria (+1)

34 Senegal (+6)

36 Northern Ireland (-)

37 Israel (-4)

38 Iran (+2)

39 Egypt (+4)

40 Mali (+9)

41 Switzerland (+1)

42 Morocco (-4)

43 Tunisia (-6)

44 Finland (0)

45 Chile (+2)

46 Korea Republic (+4)

47 Ghana (-2)

48 Hungary (7)

48 Bosnia-Herzegovina (-9)

50 Slovakia (-4)

51 Canada (+3)

52 Saudi Arabia (-1)

52 Australia (-4)

54 Belgium (+6)

55 Honduras (+4)

56 Venezuela (+2)

57 Cyprus (+11)

58 Wales (-5)

59 Ecuador (-2)

60 Zambia (+1)

61 Peru (-9)

61 Moldova (+20)

63 Uzbekistan (-1)

64 Cuba (+7)

65 Panama (+1)

66 Costa Rica (-10)

67 Togo (-4)

68 Haiti (+15)

69 Iraq (-4)

70 Albania (+8)

71 Georgia (+33)

72 Equatorial Guinea (-)

73 Angola (-4)

73 St. Vincent and the Grenadines (+24)

75 FYR Macedonia (-8)

76 Slovenia (-1)

77 Mozambique (-3)

78 Trinidad and Tobago (-14)

79 Congo DR (-2)

79 Iceland (+1)

81 Oman (-2)

82 Armenia (+5)

83 South Africa (-10)

84 Qatar (+7)

84 Benin (-2)

86 Latvia (+8)

87 Zimbabwe (+6)

88 Austria (-3)

89 Algeria (-4)

90 Lithuania (-6)

91 China PR (-2)

92 Guyana (+11)

93 Barbados (+16)

94 Belarus (-24)

95 Uganda (+5)

96 Bahrain (+2)

97 United Arab Emirates (+5)

97 Kenya (+18)

99 Congo (+2)

100 Guatemala (-12)

101 Botswana (-6)

101 Namibia (+7)

103 Jamaica (-7)

104 Libya (-12)

105 Sudan (+7)

106 Tanzania (-)

107 Bolivia (-17)

108 Ethiopia (+5)

109 Gabon (+1)

110 Burkina Faso (-4)

111 Jordan (-12)

112 Gambia (+2)

112 Cape Verde Islands (-36)

114 Thailand (+3)

115 Kuwait (-10)

116 Azerbaijan (-1)

117 Burundi (-7)

118 Rwanda (-)

119 Liechtenstein (+23)

120 Solomon Islands (1)

120 New Caledonia (+4)

122 Kazakhstan (-2)

123 Eritrea (+5)

124 Mauritania (+16)

125 Indonesia (+1)

126 Syria (-3)

127 Fiji (-8)

128 New Zealand (+28)

129 Korea DPR (+2)

130 Estonia (-3)

131 Vanuatu (+2)

132 Malawi (-11)

133 Kyrgyzstan (+16)

134 Bermuda (+1)

135 Hong Kong (-1)

136 Yemen (+5)

137 Malta (-13)

138 Lebanon (+6)

139 Vietnam (-9)

140 Singapore (-2)

141 El Salvador (-4)

142 Chad (-6)

143 Liberia (-14)

144 Suriname (-1)

145 India (-)

145 Antigua and Barbuda (-14)

147 Myanmar (+1)

148 Dominican Republic (-9)

149 Samoa (-2)

150 Luxembourg (+26)

151 Swaziland (-2)

152 Tajikistan (-1)

153 Mauritius (+2)

154 Lesotho (-1)

155 Sierra Leone (+17)

156 St. Kitts and Nevis (-10)

157 Niger (-5)

158 Madagascar (+6)

158 Turkmenistan (+16)

160 Seychelles (-6)

161 Nicaragua (-3)

162 Tahiti (-1)

163 Chinese Taipei (-4)

163 St. Lucia (-)

165 Grenada (-3)

166 Malaysia (-7)

167 Palestine (-10)

168 Tonga (-1)

169 Sri Lanka (-3)

170 Bahamas (-2)

171 Montenegro (+15)

172 Bangladesh (+3)

173 Andorra (-4)

174 Maldives (-9)

175 Laos (-5)

175 Philippines (-5)

177 Brunei Darussalam (-5)

178 Mongolia (-2)

179 Cambodia (-1)

180 British Virgin Islands (-1)

181 Pakistan (-2)

181 Turks and Caicos Islands (-)

183 Papua New Guinea (-1)

183 Netherlands Antilles (-1)

185 Comoros (-1)

186 Nepal (-1)

187 Dominica (-1)

188 Central African Republic 20 0 0

188 Cayman Islands 20 0 0

190 Macau (-2)

190 Afghanistan (+1)

190 Guinea-Bissau (+1)

193 Somalia (+1)

194 Faroe Islands (-1)

195 Puerto Rico (-)

196 San Marino (-)

197 Bhutan (-)

197 Anguilla (-)

199 Cook Islands (-)

200 Djibouti (-)

200 American Samoa (-)

200 Timor-Leste (-)

200 Guam (-)

200 Belize (-)

200 São Tomé e Príncipe (-)

200 Aruba (-)

200 US Virgin Islands (-)

200 Montserrat (-)

SAFF football championship put off to May 2008

New Delhi, Oct 20 - The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship, scheduled to be held in December this year, has been postponed to May 2008 following a decision taken by the SAFF executive committee which met in Colombo last week.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had requested for the postponement as the 2010 World Cup qualifiers as well as the professional and national football leagues in India would clash with the SAFF football event.

The eight-team event for the South Asian countries was scheduled to be hosted jointly by Maldives and Sri Lanka. The two countries will continue to be the hosts. The draw for the event will now be held in Maldives on Feb 26, 2008.

The executive committee has also cleared one under-16 tournament for SAFF member countries in India and one under-16 girls event in Sri Lanka.

The meeting was chaired by SAFF president Ganesh Thapa, with representatives from Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka present.


Source: Earth Time

Rizwan to officiate in Maldives NFL

Delhi-based FIFA Panel referee Rizwan-ul Haq has been appointed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to officiate in the Maldives National League. He would probably become the first official from India to conduct matches in a foreign national league. The event, which kicked off on Sunday, will continue till August 31.

"I am delighted that AIFF has chosen me to officiate in a foreign league," Rizwan told TOI before leaving for Maldives on Sunday. After becoming a national referee in 1995-96, Rizwan made rapid progress as an official.

Rizwan was soon drafted into the FIFA Panel of referees from India in 2000 and got the prestigious FIFA batch. In 2005, he became the only Indian referee to be included in AFC Elite Panel and the only official from Delhi to have officiated in all the major World Cup, Olympic, AFC Cup qualifying matches.

Source: India Times Sports

India jumps four places, first time in three months

For the first time in three months, India moved up four places to 161st in the latest FIFA rankings issued today.

India, who remained stuck in 165th spot since March rankings, had not played any international 'A' level matches in the past one month to add to its current 76 points.

The gain in four places, which also saw India moving up one place to 31st among Asian countries, could be due to poor showing of some countries which were earlier ahead of it in the previous month rankings.

India is ahead of Bangladesh (172nd), Pakistan (178th) and Nepal (182nd) but below Maldives (157th) and Sri Lanka (159th), according to information received here.

Among Asian Confederation countries, Japan (40th) gained four places to dethrone Iran (47th) from top, who slipped six places.

Australia (48th), who lost six places, is at third, South Korea unchanged at fourth, followed by Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia at fifth and sixth respectively.

Meanwhile, World champions Italy retained the top spot for the second successive month while a pair of victories in EURO 2008 qualifiers saw France climb two spots to second place at the expense of Brazil which is third, down one place from previous month.

Germany reached its highest position in more than four years at fourth while Argentina is down two places to fifth.

England, the Netherlands, Portugal, Czech Republic and Spain are unchanged at sixth to tenth positions.

Source: deepikaglobal

SAFF C’ships in Colombo, Maldives

The South Asian Football Federation Chiefs who met in New Delhi decided to hold the South Asian Football Federation Championships from December 19 to 22 in Colombo and Maldives.

The championship will be competed by Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and Afghanistan. The opening ceremony is scheduled to be held in Maldives while the closing ceremony will go to Sri Lanka.

All group matches where Sri Lanka is involved are to be conducted in Sri Lanka while the games involving Maldives are to be staged at the National stadium according to reliable sources.

Meanwhile the President of the Maldives Football Association is making a request to change the opening and the closing ceremony for them to have the final in Male.

As there is a request for this change, the South Asian Football Officials are scheduled to meet again to finalise the arrangements.

Source: Daily News SriLanka

Pakistan will take part in SAFF Championship

Pakistan will take part in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship, a spokesman for the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) told Daily Times here Sunday. “After a meeting of the South Asian Football Federation in New Delhi, the member nations have agreed to hold the tournament in Male and Colombo from December 10 to 22,” the spokesman added.

He said it was agreed that the opening ceremony would be held in Male while the closing ceremony along with the tournament final in Colombo. “ The group matches involving Maldives will be played at National Stadium Male and the group matches involving Sri Lanka will be played at Sugathadha Stadium Colombo.” It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan won a bronze medal in the 1997 edition of the tournament.

This year’s showpiece event comprises four-times champions India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and underdogs Bhutan and Afghanistan. A total of six tournaments have been played in the past. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the only three nations that have won the tournament. The SAFF Championship is held biannually to promote football in South Asian region. It was launched at Lahore’s Railway Stadium in 1993 as the SAARC Gold Cup. Since 1997 onwards it is known as the SAFF Championship.

Source: Daily Times of Pakistan

AFC U-13 national football team lost Nepal match.

KATHMANDU, May 5 - Under-13 national football team made a cracking start in the AFC U-13 Festival of Football being organized in Bangladesh. Nepal comfortably won all its three matches on Friday without conceding a goal, according to All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).

Bikash Kunwar was the star of the day for Nepal completing a hat trick against the Maldives and he also added a couple against Turkmenistan. Nepali team thrashed the Maldives 7-0. Along with Kunwar's hat trick, Samir Limbu struck a brace while Samip Shrestha and Hem Thapa scored one apiece for Nepal in the drubbing.

In the second game also played today, Nepali rookies blanked Bhutan 2-0.

Sulav Maskey and Ram Sharan Thapa scored a goal each for Nepal. Turkmenistan was no match to Nepal either although it was the third match of the day for the defending champion, Nepal.

Bikask Kunwar once again led the charge with a brace as Nepal humbled Turkmenistan 5-0. Sulav Maskey also scored twice in the match for Nepal while the other goal came from Samir Limbu.

Source: E-kantipur Online