FIFA rankings: Indian football team drops four places to 121
New Delhi, Apr 4: The Indian football men's team dropped four places to 121 in the latest FIFA rankings, its worst in recent years, following an embarrassing 1-2 defeat against Afghanistan in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Guwahati last month.
The Igor Stimac-coached side, which had broken into the top-100 last year, having won the Intercontinental Cup, the Tri-Nations tournament and the SAFF Championship, on March 26 suffered a shocking defeat at home to lowly-ranked Afghanistan to continue its poor run of late.
Even though the team registered a win against Kuwait in the World Cup qualifiers, its first away win in over two decades, the forgettable outing at the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar, where the side lost all its matches without scoring a single goal, saw it plummet 15 spots to 117th after the continental tournament.
India ended their Asian Cup campaign in January pointless and goal-less after losing to Australia (0-2), Uzbekistan (0-3) and Syria (0-1). It finished at the bottom of the four-team Group B.
Last month, the Blue Tigers were held to a goalless draw by Afghanistan in their first leg second round World Cup qualifiers in Abha, Saudi Arabia, and then lost the home fixture, prompting outrage from fans and calls for sacking of Stimac.
India's worst ranking, though, is 173.
Before dropping 15 places to 117 in March, the Indian team was placed at 102nd in the FIFA rankings, issued on December 21, 2023.
Reigning world champions Argentina continue to top the chart followed by 2022 World Cup runners-up France, England, Belgium and Brazil.
Netherlands occupy the sixth place and they are followed by Portugal, Spain and Italy with Croatia completing the top 10.
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BJP slams Karnataka govt over alleged U-Turn in eviction row
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar of making a ‘U-Turn’ on the eviction of alleged illegal houses in Bengaluru’s Kogilu Layout and bowing to pressure from the party high command in Delhi.
Addressing a press conference in Belagavi, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said the chief minister and his deputy had reversed their stand on the demolition of illegal houses and alleged that the decisions were being dictated from outside the state.
"Should Karnataka’s policy decisions be taken by a Keralite K C Venugopal sitting in Delhi, or by the chief minister of this state?" he asked.
Vijayendra said the BJP would take the issue to the streets across Karnataka after deliberations at the party’s core committee meeting scheduled for January 5.
"(Issues like) drug mafia, insult to Kannadigas and irregularities in the Gruha Lakshmi scheme will be discussed, and a statewide agitation will be decided," he said.
"Announcing houses for illegal migrants by throwing rules to the wind is completely illegal. Do the chief minister and deputy chief minister even have the legal authority to take such a decision?" he questioned and said, that the houses were constructed for poor Kannadigas using taxpayers’ money.
Alleging discrimination against Karnataka’s poor, Vijayendra recalled Siddaramaiah’s earlier announcements related to Kerala.
"When Wayanad was hit by floods, the chief minister announced construction of 100 houses there and gave Rs 15 lakh compensation for elephant attack deaths. What injustice have Karnataka’s poor committed?" Vijayendra asked.
He also accused the government of failing to curb the drug menace.
"Police from Maharashtra are coming and raiding drug factories in the chief minister’s own district and in Bengaluru. What is the state government and home department doing?" he asked, alleging that Karnataka was being turned into a drug hub.
In Bengaluru, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje echoed similar allegations, questioning whether the “heat of Kerala elections” was influencing decisions in Karnataka. Speaking at the BJP state office, Jagannath Bhavan, she demanded a high-level probe into illegal migration and alleged links to drug networks.
"The state government must cooperate in identifying and deporting Rohingyas and other illegal migrants," she said.
Karandlaje criticised alleged interference by Congress leaders from outside the state. "K C Venugopal posts on ‘X’ and tells how the Karnataka government should function.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is also dictating what should or should not be done here," she alleged, questioning whether Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had the constitutional authority to run the government independently.
She said the eviction of 167 houses at Kogilu after issuing notices was a good move, but alleged that it was later questioned under pressure.
"Who are these migrants? Most of them are from West Bengal, with no proper addresses even there," she said, adding that she had written to the Bengaluru police commissioner regarding illegal activities in other areas such as Aminkere.
Accusing the chief minister and deputy chief minister of succumbing to ‘Delhi pressure’, Karandlaje alleged that plans were being made to allot government houses to illegal migrants at Baiyappanahalli.
"Who are they? When did they apply? What about those who have applied for houses in Karnataka?" she asked. She demanded immediate seizure and verification of Aadhaar cards and voter IDs of suspected illegal migrants.
"If you give them houses and certificates, you are making them permanent. For the survival of Karnataka and the country, the police must act," she said.
