Nigeria Content Online

The first edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World ranking of the New Year has seen the Super Eagles remain on the 32nd spot.

A lot of teams on the log also maintained the positions they occupied during the last ranking.

The Super Eagles
had moved up one spot to finish the year 2010 in 32nd position. The
ranking turned out to be the worst year-end finish for the country’s
national team in the last six years.

Already, many are
expectant that the new Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, will be able
to change the fortunes of the team, which was formerly ranked very high
among football playing nations.

Spain continues to
lead the way as the world’s best team, ahead of the Netherlands and
Germany. The only change in the first 30 countries saw Egypt who
remains Africa’s best team swap places with Croatia. Egypt dropped to
the tenth spot, while Croatia moved to ninth place.

The seemingly
unchanged ranking was due to inaction at national-team level in most
confederations. Only 35 friendly matches have been taken into account
in the current ranking, 23 of which were played before the turn of the
year.

The country’s
national team will however soon get busy as it is expected to take part
next month in the Presidents Cup in the United States, the federation
has also said the February 9 FIFA friendly window will also be utilised
even though no particular team has been named for the Eagles.

Siasia gives up on Onuoha

In other
development hopes of Sunderland on-loan defender Nedum Onuoha playing
for Nigeria may soon fizzle out as the Super Eagles coach, Samson
Siasia may have given up on the former England U-21 captain.

Siasia who was
reported by local media to have had a bust-up with Onuha denied the
claim but said he will never call on Onuoha to play for the Eagles
again.

“Until he decides
to call me and tell me that he is interested in playing for this
country I will never call him anymore,” he said.

Siasia, who may
have be angered by the player’s attitude during his last visit to
England where he met with other England-based Nigeria players like
Victor Moses and Shola Ameobi felt he was disrespected by Onuoha.

“I called Nedum (Onuoha) to know if he wants to play for Nigeria and
the only thing he said to me was that he should be left out of the next
game (of the Nigerian national team). He didn’t answer my question and
that is a serious disrespect I must say because we feel he is a good
player,” he said.