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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Dalit man beaten to death in MP over land dispute; sarpanch, kin booked
Shivpuri (MP) (PTI): A 30-year-old Dalit man was allegedly beaten to death by the sarpanch and seven others over a land dispute in a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district, an official said on Wednesday.
Narad Jatav was fatally attacked on Tuesday evening after he and his maternal uncle objected to a road created through their land to a hotel belonging to the sarpanch, Padam Dhakad, in Indergarh village, the official said. The accused, including Dhakad's sons and wife, are on the run.
Following the dispute over the road, Narad allegedly removed the water supply line from a common borewell to the hotel. Dhakad and his family then beat him with sticks and killed him, Kotwali police station in-charge Kripal Singh Rathore said.
Jatav’s family protested in the medical college where his body was taken for autopsy, demanding the registration of a first information report (FIR) against the accused, he said.
Later, police pacified them and registered a murder case against the sarpanch and his other family members, including his wife and sons, Rathore said.
The eight accused persons are absconding and efforts are being made to nab them, he added.
Condemning the murder, former chief minister Kamal Nath wrote on X, “A Dalit youth was beaten to death with sticks in Indergarh of Shivpuri. After this murder in broad daylight, it has been proved once again that Dalits are not safe in Madhya Pradesh,” he said.
There is not a single day when an incident of atrocity on Dalits does not occur in the state, said the Congress leader.
“Under the BJP rule, the audacity of bullies is increasing and it has become their habit to oppress the Dalits and tribals,” he wrote on the social media platform.
Nath also demanded special arrangements to ensure the safety of Dalits and tribals in MP.
