re: Australia, is there any subjective component to the rankings to quibble with, or is that just a weird way the rankings points worked out?On the women's rankings ... the US drop to 3rd but the big faller was Germany who dropped all the way to 6th after crashing out in groups. And how typically FIFA that Australia won the hearts of a nation, finished 4th in the biggest tournament in the cycle and still managed to actually fall a slot. Perfect. Never change.
Here is what it’s theoretically based on. Despite the run to the semis, it appears the results may be somewhat discounted because they played at home. They were also in a fairly easy group. Canada was only 3 spots ahead of them but Ireland was 22nd and Nigeria was 40th. The beat Denmark in the knockouts and they were ranked lower, then 5th ranked France, but on penalties, then they lost decisively to England.re: Australia, is there any subjective component to the rankings to quibble with, or is that just a weird way the rankings points worked out?
There's a never ending list of subjective complaints about the general logic of FIFA's rankings ... specifically how they fail to weight actual major tournaments more than crapola like the CONCACAF W tournament ... just for one example. England have won the last Euros and finished 2nd in the WC. Arguably those are the two biggest and toughest tournaments in the women's game and yet they not only rank below Spain (fair enough) but also below Sweden ... who finished below them in both tournaments. Did anything else happen to tilt that in the last 2 years? Not really, but we have to weight over 3 years and change for ... no known reason beyond successful lobbying. Same crap happens on the men's side.re: Australia, is there any subjective component to the rankings to quibble with, or is that just a weird way the rankings points worked out?
And several La Liga clubsBTW ... seeing reports of more and more male Spanish players starting to pressure their Federation over the treatment of the women. About bloody time, honestly.
Not, I feel certain, the only two that actually matter. If and when Barca and Real Madrid want changes, they tend to happen quickly. Funny how that works.And several La Liga clubs
Good on them. Honestly, the behavior of the Spanish federation through this whole thing has been disgusting.The entire women’s national team quit.
“We have to state that Ms. Jennifer Hermoso lies in every statement she makes against the President.”The Spanish FA doubles down on their idiocy.
Roberto Mancini is not going the club route, he was appointed manager of the Saudi Arabian National Team.I think that's because he went straight into management the minute he retired as a player. He's been on the public stage since the 80s with no real breaks. I'd bet he's got another good club run in him, if he can find the right fit.
According to Colin Miller from the Mirror, the Spanish FA is calling for UEFA to expel them because the Spanish government, through the Sports Council, suspended Rubiales.And of course, for people wondering why the Spanish government can't just fire everybody at RFEF and start over, FIFA has pretty strict rules restricting government interference in Federation activities, including personnel issues. Those rules are largely imposed to keep authoritarian governments from meddling in purely sporting affairs and hijacking money FIFA sends to the federations ... but they apply regardless of circumstances.
Best job in soccer ... other than the 3-4 months you have to spend in the Kingdom every yearRoberto Mancini is not going the club route, he was appointed manager of the Saudi Arabian National Team.