What the FIFA world ranking tells of Ghana football

16th Mar 2018 | Source: graphic.com.gh

A captain and his assistant: Stephen Appiah has some scolding for Asamoah Gyan during Ghana's near-historic encounter against Uruguay during South Africa 2010, our best year in the FIFA world ranking

On Thursday March 15, 2018, world football governing powerhouse, FIFA released its usual monthly FIFA world ranking - ratings of how well members of its confederations are doing with their football.

Ghana showed up 54th in the Fifa world ranking and 8th on the continent.

The nation did no better the month before, ramping up the same positions in the FIFA world ranking and at CAF level, except in January when we clocked 50th/8th, which per the perking, we can accept as an improvement.

I decided to peruse the world rankings for the past decade in a hopeful pursuit of proof that our football is indeed improving. What is available is to the contrary; we are groping in a huge sinkhole and should be looking for real ground to clutch at.

Ghana's 10-year FIFA world ranking

YEAR	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
2017	54	45	43	45	45	49	50	50	52	52	51	50
2016	33	41	41	38	38	37	36	35	43	45	53	53
2015	37	25	24	26	26	34	25	27	27	25	30	33
2014	24	37	35	38	38	37	38	36	33	35	37	37
2013	26	19	20	22	22	21	24	24	24	23	24	24
2012	26	23	23	22	25	25	33	32	31	31	29	30
2011	16	15	16	15	15	33	36	36	37	33	29	29
2010	--	27	28/31	32	32	--	23	23	20	17	17	16
2009	25	35	34	31	31	36	35	35	32	38	37	34
2008	43	14	15	14	14	16	20	19	20	25	26	25

While the numbers bear up the truth that our football has seen happy days within the past decade when the FIFA world ranking, if it is anything to go by, showed us strong and good with repeated positions among the world’s best, it also does not hide our real, pitiable sight and size today.

Ten years ago we were showing up at 14th, our best ever in the FIFA world ranking within the period, but are now doing 54th, our worst also. Our deterioration has been consistent.

Like most nations and as is natural, we have been vacillating on the FIFA world ranking, however the clear trend is that we are persistently failing. Tunisia, Senegal, Congo DR, Morocco, Egypt, Cameroon, and Nigeria are our better performing competitors.