Jordan drops in FIFA Rankings, head coach departs

AMMAN  —  A new phase awaits Jordan’s national team with the departure of head coach Abdullah Misfer who resigned after the team was held 3-3 by Afghanistan as it started return leg 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers.

In a match Jordan should have won with a big difference of goals, the squad only managed to tie in the final minutes of the match after Afghanistan was the first to score and then led 3-2. 

Jordan dropped a further three spots to 113th in the latest FIFA Rankings after it also played two friendlies preceding the qualifier, tying Bahrain 0-0 and Oman 1-1.

Jordan is still out of the Asian top 10 trailing Iran (34), Australia (43), Japan (44), China (57), South Korea (62), Saudi Arabia (63), the UAE (72), Uzbekistan (76), Syria (77), Iraq (80), Palestine (84), Qatar (97) and Lebanon (100). Germany leads the top 10 World Rankings followed by Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland, France, Spain, Chile  and Peru. Tunisia are the top-ranked Arab team at 28th, followed by Egypt (30th), Morocco (48th)and Algeria (67th). 

Jordan’s best FIFA ranking was 37th in 2004 while the lowest ranking was 152nd in 1996.  

In remarks following his resignation this week, coach Misfer noted he had undertaken short term goals that he had stated when he first started: mainly, to recruit younger players to the national team line-up and qualify to the AFC Cup. 

Although Jordan led the group after Leg 1, a fair assessment would note that Jordan’s qualifying Group C has limited capabilities and advancing to the 2019 Asian Cup should not be a difficult task against relatively unknown teams in the Asian continent.