After moving back and forth in recent months without really making any significant progress, Bafana Bafana on Wednesday plummeted five places in the Fifa world rankings to 77th position.
And it comes as a disquieting development with the hosting of the eight-nation Confederations Cup, the precursor to next year’s World Cup, little more than two months away — notwithstanding the uncannily fortuitous draw received by South Africa in the competition.
This point is emphasised by the fact that in spite of Bafana’s lowly ranking, they remain the second-highest rated team in their Confederations Cup, first-round group, with modest opponents New Zealand in 79th place and Iraq further down in 85th position.
Reflecting the stark imbalance of Group A compared to the Confederations Cup’s Group B is the fact that joining South Africa, New Zealand and Iraq in this segment are Spain, who remain the number one-ranked team in the world after setting new records this week by compiling the most ranking points since Fifa introduced the system in 1993.
In contrast to Group A, the teams in the Confederations Cup Group B are compellingly well-balanced, with five-times world champions Brazil now ranked fourth, current world champions Italy in fifth place and the United States and African champions Egypt, both below the 40 mark.
This lopsided arrangement means if South Africa are able to beat New Zealand and Iraq, something that cannot be taken for granted, they could still make the Confederations Cup semifinal stage.
But adding to Bafana’s indignity right now is they have dropped to 18th position in the African rankings headed by Cameroon, who are 19th in the world rankings.
The millstone round Bafana’s neck in the path to any significant progress is the failure to qualify for the 2006 World Cup and, more so, next year’s African Nations Cup Finals in Angola.
It is erratic, often indifferent recent form that has prevented Bafana from shedding the unenviable tag of remaining boys among men in the highly competitive environment of international soccer. — Sapa