Thursday, January 03, 2008

The big movers of 2007

As 2007 came to an end newly crowned kings of Asia, Iraq, will look back with the fondest memories, though Guadeloupe who are not even a member of FIFA were the biggest movers of the year in Marks Rankings having taken part in the Gold Cup for the first time and reached the semi-finals. Haiti also had a successful year, lifting the Caribbean Cup with their final win against Trinidad & Tobago who in contrast slipped down the rankings. Cameroon did not live up to expectations in their build up to the African Cup of Nations due to take place in Ghana in 2008. Among the top teams, Spain and Paraguay rose the most while Denmark and Ukraine had a disappointing year. Other teams to do badly were Angola, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Iceland, Ethiopia, Ecuador and Egypt whereas Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Panama, Uzbekistan, Mozambique and Northern Ireland exceeded expectations. Brazil stay top of the pile having successfully defended their Copa America Title in Venezuela.