Ireland boosted by surprise rise in FIFA rankings

THE recent results in Bratislava and Prague may have been greeted with general dismay, but the Republic of Ireland have still moved up five places in the latest FIFA world rankings.

The monthly table finds Steve Staunton’s team at 32, up from 37, with one of those points the result of the 2-2 draw against Slovakia.

Frequently accused of being out of touch with the reality of the world game, the rankings — which were redesigned after the 2006 World Cup — take into account not only recent results but also factors such as the strength of opponents, results over the past four years and average points gained from all matches a country has played in the preceding 12 months.