Rwanda moves to 93rd in Fifa rankings

For the first time in six years, Rwanda has moved into the top 100 in the monthly Fifa ranking, moving from 101st to 93rd in the latest ranking released yesterday in Zurich, Switzerland. Stephen Constantine’s men also improved to 26th in Africa, thanks mainly to good performances in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations-Morocco qualifiers despite Rwanda being disqualified for fielding an ineligible player. The last time Rwanda was ranked in the top 100 was in 2008 when the country was rated 78th. The progress follows the team’s improvement since Briton Constantine took over as head coach in May at a time when Rwanda was in 131st position. In May, Rwanda ejected Libya out of the 2015 Afcon qualifiers 3-0 on aggregate to qualify for the second round. The qualification helped Amavubi rise to 116th in June and 109th for the July rankings. In the second round, Rwanda stunned the Republic of Congo 2-0 in Kigali to tie the aggregate score 2-2 before winning a penalty shootout that saw Amavubi book a place in Group A of the last round of qualification in the continental competition. It is largely this win that saw Rwanda move to 101st in Fifa rankings for the month of August. However, the country was later disqualified for fielding a player with dual identity—Dady Birori, who has since been slapped with a two-year ban by the Confederation of African Football (Caf). In the Cecafa region, Rwanda is ranked behind only Uganda, who have improved to 79th and 19th in Africa; Kenya is ranked 111th; Tanzania is 119th; while Burundi is 130th. Reacting to the rankings, Constantine told Times Sport yesterday, “I am absolutely delighted for everyone connected with football in Rwanda. It is a significant step forward for us and we must maintain the momentum.” “I would like to thank Ferwafa and the government for their continued support and belief they have showed in me so far, and I look forward to their continued support,” he added. Algeria is the best ranked African nation in number 20. World champions Germany maintain top spot with Argentina in second while Netherlands dropped from third to fourth with Colombia taking third, while Belgium completes the top five.

Sports

Rwanda moves to 93rd in Fifa rankings