TT dethroned as football kings

ZURICH: Jamaica returned to the number one spot in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) rankings for the first time in over three years when they moved ahead of Trinidad and Tobago in the April rankings released by FIFA yesterday.

Jamaica climbed one place up to 50th in the world, while Trinidad and Tobago dropped two spots to 51st, and Cuba became the world’s biggest movers in the month when they jumped 18 spots to 55th in the world. The Reggae Boyz last led TT on FIFA’s list — and occupied the CFU’s top spot — in February 2000. Trinidad and Tobago, the reigning Caribbean Cup champions, suffered a huge blow at the CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifiers at home last month when they were beaten 3-1 by Cuba and forced into secondary play-offs — starting this week in Martinique — to get into the Gold Cup. Cuba, who were 73rd in FIFA’s March rankings, won the group.

Jamaica, the 1998 World Cup qualifiers, played unbeaten in their group at home and booked an automatic spot to this summer’s Gold Cup in the United States and Mexico. They whipped St. Lucia 5-0, beat Haiti 3-0, and drew 2-2 with Martinique. St. Lucia, who upset the CFU’s fourth-ranked Haiti 2-1 in the Kingston group, improved eight places to an all-time best 107th on FIFA’s list. In the CFU’s top 10, Barbados — 95th in the world — remain fifth behind Jamaica, TT, Cuba, and Haiti, while the St. Lucians displace St. Kitts and Nevis in sixth spot. The region’s top-10 list is completed by the Kittitians, 117th in the world, Grenada (137th) and Suriname (146th), with St. Vincent and the Grenadines (150th) 10th in the region. Five-time world champions Brazil remain a clear world number one, ahead of Spain and 1998 World Cup winners France. Germany are fourth, followed by The Netherlands, Argentina, England, Turkey, and Mexico, with United States 10th.

RANKING OF CFU TEAMS (World ranking in bracket)
1 Jamaica (50th); 2 Trinidad/Tobago (51); 3 Cuba (55); 4 Haiti (76); 5 Barbados (95); 6 St. Lucia (107); 7 St. Kitts/Nevis (117); 8 Grenada (137); 9 Suriname (146); 10 St. Vincent/ Grenadines (151); 11 Dominican Republic (156); 12 Antigua/Barbuda (158); 13 British Virgin Islands (166);
14 Cayman Islands (172); 15 Guyana (175); 16 Bermuda (176); 17 Dominica (177); 18 Netherlands Antilles (179); 19 Bahamas (188); 20 Aruba (193); 21 Anguilla (196); 22 US Virgin Islands (197); 23 Puerto Rico (199); 24 Turks/Caicos Islands (203); 25 Montserrat (204). (CMC)