Sports
FIFA Ranking: Super Falcons slip by 7 spots, now world 46th
The Super Falcons of Nigeria have dropped by seven spots in the July FIFA Ranking, to be placed 46th, after ending 4th at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
In the ranking table published on the website of the world football governing body on Friday, Nigeria garnered 1535.09 points in the month under review and lost 69.33 points, which is the biggest decline in terms of points.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the former African champions surprisingly went down 1-0 to the She-polopolo of Zambia in the match for the third place match of 2022 WAFCON.
At the continental level, the drop in spot however did not displace the Falcons as the 1st placed team in Africa with the current WAFCON winner, South Africa placed 2nd.
Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast are the 3rd, 4th and 5th placed teams, respectively.
South Africa (54th, plus 4) moved up four places on the back of their title triumph at the 2022 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Semi-finalists at that tournament, Zambia (80th, plus 23) are this edition’s most-improved side after surging 23 places.
At the global scene, July 2022 was a busy month for women’s football, with five major tournaments taking place across the globe.
In addition to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, continental championships were held in Africa, South America, North America and Oceania, all serving as qualifying events for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™.
Since 17 June 2022, when the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking was last published, no fewer than 221 matches have been played, generating considerable movement in the standings.
And while USA (1st), recent winners of the CONCACAF Women’s Championship, remain the team to catch, the Stars and Stripes have a new pursuer in the shape of Germany (2nd, plus 3).
The EURO 2022 runners-up move ahead of Sweden (3rd, minus 1), whose own European title ambitions came to an end in the semi-finals.
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Freshly crowned continental champions, England (4th, plus 4) moved up four places ahead of France (5th, minus 2).
Drops for the Netherlands (6th, minus 2), Canada (7th, minus 1), and Spain (8th, minus 1) are the other significant changes in this edition’s Top 10.
Another notable improver in this edition is Jamaica, who achieved their highest-ever placing (42nd, plus 9), following their third-place at the Concacaf Championship.
Also enjoying all-time highs are Iceland (14th, plus 3), the Republic of Ireland (26th, plus 1), Portugal (27th, plus 3) and Zambia.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that four new teams have joined the Ranking since June 2022 namely Cambodia (120th), Turkmenistan (137th) Timor-Leste (152nd) and Guinea-Bissau (169th), giving the August 2022 edition a record-breaking 185 FIFA member associations.
The Ayomidiran Foundation, under the leadership of Hon Ayo Omidiran, has appointed four prominent women as ambassadors for its “Girls Play Sports” initiative, aimed at inspiring young girls to excel in sports.
The initiative has brought together Ayisat Yusuf, a former Super Falcons player and current sponsor of Ayisat Yusuf Football Club; Mary Onyali, a celebrated silver-winning Olympic sprinter; Onome Ebi, who represented Nigeria in five FIFA Women’s World Cups and captained the Super Falcons in several international competitions; and Olufunke Oshonaike, a six-time Olympic table tennis player who has won numerous medals for Nigeria.
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On the rationale for their appointment, Hon Omidiran asserted that ‘these accomplished athletes, known for their dedication and excellence, are role models for girls across Nigeria’.
The grand finale of the inaugural Girls Play Sports football tournament will take place in Abuja on September 29, 2024, where the ambassadors will participate in celebrating female athletic achievements and encouraging more girls to embrace sports.
The foundation also plans to expand the initiative to include sports like table tennis, basketball, and athletics in the future.
“We are honoured to have these sports legends on board,” said Hon Omidiran.
“Their success and passion for sports will inspire a new generation of female athletes, promoting empowerment through sports,” he added.
Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard will be sidelined for an extended period due to an ankle injury he sustained during international duty with Norway.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta announced this on Wednesday.
Ødegaard twisted his ankle in Norway’s Nations League match against Austria earlier this month.
The national team doctor initially estimated that Ødegaard would be out for at least three weeks.
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However, recent scans have revealed ligament damage, leading Arteta to acknowledge the injury’s seriousness.
Arteta said, “The scans showed some damage, especially to one of the ligaments in the ankle. While I can’t provide an exact timeframe, it is significant, and we’ll miss him for a while. We’re hopeful it won’t be for months, but we’ll see.”
Arsenal, who were Premier League runners-up last season, will face Manchester City, the reigning champions, on Sunday.
The Gunners are currently second in the Premier League after a 1-0 win over Tottenham, trailing City by two points.
Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress secured a thrilling 71-67 victory over Uganda on Friday, advancing to the final of the FIBA U18 Women’s AfroBasket 2024.
The closely contested semifinal took place at Pretoria University in South Africa.
With this win, Nigeria also earned a spot in the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2025 in Czechia, alongside Mali, who dominated Cameroon with a 103-45 win in the other semifinal earlier that day.
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Despite Uganda defeating Nigeria in the Group Phase, the Nigerians turned the tables in this semifinal, claiming sweet revenge.
Nigeria, who last won silver in 2010, had only won one Group Phase game, a resounding 107-30 victory over Zimbabwe.
However, they managed to advance as one of the two best third-place finishers and made the most of their second chance.
In the quarterfinals, Nigeria faced Egypt, a team they lost to 72-60 in the group stage. However, the West Africans bounced back, defeating the Pharaohs 66-51 to secure their semifinal berth.
While Nigeria, led by coach Juliana Ojoshogu Negedu, fought hard to overcome Uganda, coach Omondi of Uganda was focused on earning a spot on the podium for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Nigeria entered the match with a statistical edge, thanks to standout offensive contributions from Idubamo Beggi and Abigail Isaac.
Uganda responded with notable performances from Resty Nanangwe, Modesta Anyango, and Mia Belinda.
In the final on Saturday (tomorrow), Nigeria will take on Mali, seeking to redeem their men’s team’s previous quarterfinal loss to the same West African rival.
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