India jump 3 spots to 151

New Delhi: India have jumped three places to No. 151 in the latest Fifa rankings issued on Wednesday.

India, who have 140 points in their kitty, now share the spot with Samoa while occupying 26th among AFC countries.

India, who will defend their title in the SAFF Cup from June 3-14 in the Maldives and Sri Lanka, are making an upward move for the first time in four months this year.

THE TOP 10
(Last month’s ranking in brackets)
1. Argentina (1) 1,520 points; 2. Brazil (2) 1,518; 3. Italy (3), 1,396; 4. Spain (4) 1,323; 5. Germany (5) 1,264; 6. Czech Republic (6) 1,244; 7. France (7) 1,205; 8. Greece (8) 1,196; 9. Portugal (9) 1,131; 10. Netherlands (10) 1,123.

Manchester City approach Scolari

Sao Paulo: Portugal manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has been approached by Manchester City to replace Sven-Goran Eriksson, the Brazilian’s spokesman said on Tuesday. While the club has made an official approach to Scolari, negotiations are yet to begin, spokesman Acaz Fellegger said. The club also said Manchester City’s tour of Asia will go ahead, despite reports of a possible boycott by players over the uncertain future of manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Ban on Boca

Asuncion: South American champions Boca Juniors have been banned from staging international matches at their Bombonera stadium after a linesman was hit by an ice cube during a game last week. The South American Football Confederation (CSF) said the ban would be lifted once the Argentine club had improved protection in front of the VIP boxes, where the incident occurred. The club were also fined $30,000.

Referee Jorge Larrionda ended last Wednesday’s Libertadores Cup tie against Brazil’s Cruzeiro one minute early after linesman Pablo Fandino of Uruguay suffered a cut on his forehead.

PSG in final

Amiens: Paris St Germain needed a late goal to win 1-0 at second division Amiens and advance to the French Cup final on Tuesday after a match that had to be interrupted because of teargas blowing into the stadium. Security officials said the gas came from outside the ground where it had been used by police on PSG supporters without tickets trying to get in. The game was stopped after just over 30 minutes and resumed after a 10-minute break. No other incidents were reported.

Venue change

Seoul: North Korea, whose World Cup qualifier against South Korea in March was moved out of Pyongyang because it refused to fly the South’s flag, wants to play the second leg outside South Korea, an official said on Wednesday. The communist North asked Fifa for the change in venue, but South Korea have no plans to give up hosting the June 22 match.

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