Review 2004
March: Olympic flame fades for Cameroon
From: FIFA
The spring month of March is typically calm in the world of football, and this
year was no exception. The major news stories concerned Olympic qualification,
with title-holders Cameroon having their place snatched away from them on the
last day of qualifying by their new bogey-team, Mali. For the women, Mexico,
Australia and the USA ensured themselves a berth alongside Nigeria, Brazil,
Sweden, Germany and Greece, who all qualified in 2003, but there was little
change in the top 10 of the quarterly FIFA Women's World Ranking.
The month's other significant event took place in Peru on March 8, as the draw
was made for the Copa America. Scheduled for July, the world's oldest
international tournament was already shaping up into a fascinating contest.
Back at FIFA headquarters, the issue of players' nationalities continued to
dominate the agenda. The Emergency Committee ruled that a naturalised player
who has no family connection to his new country cannot represent its national
team… much to the chagrin of Qatar.
FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking
24th place for Iran represented the country's highest position ever, while
Belarus climbed 13 places into 78th thanks to four wins at the end of February
(against Moldavia, Cyprus, Malta and Latvia). In Africa, Tunisia, Morocco,
Nigeria and Mali made excellent progress up the list based on their
performances at the African Cup of Nations.
2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™
The North, Central American and Caribbean Zone produced some high scores in
March, including Saint Lucia's 9-0 victory over the British Virgin Islands and
the 8-1 score-line inflicted on Aruba by Surinam. In Asia, Japan and Thailand
maintained their good progress, while defeats to Venezuela and Colombia
respectively left Uruguay and Peru with a lot of work to do in South America.
Key dates:
- March 8: Draw held for the Copa America
- March 17: Emergency Committee amends the statute on players' nationalities
- March 18: FIFA Confederations Cup 2005 dates are fixed for 15-29 June
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※ 編輯: larcism 來自: 61.228.130.157 (01/01 16:59)