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After months of minor changes during which order was largely maintained in the top 10, the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking witnessed some veritably seismic shifts, with a couple of key factors forcing the movement.The first of these was the most significant change in the ranking's calculation in its 13-year history. A new system came into operation this month and, instead of taking into account the past eight years' results, only the last four now have a bearing on teams' positions within the ranking table. As for the other means by which the ranking was traditionally decided (result, importance of match, strength of opponents, regional strength, number of matches considered), these have been tested, re-analysed and, in some cases, completely revised. Indeed, two of the factors previously used - goals scored and home advantage - have been removed from the reckoning process altogether.By anyone's standards, this represents a major overhaul of the entire system, and it is one that is also geared towards makes the process of assessing fully 207 member associations a little easier to understand. "We are aware that it is difficult to meet everybody's expectations," acknowledged FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, "but are confident that the new system will provide an accurate measure of the strength of each of our member associations." Italy close in on Brazil in new-look top fiveNo prizes for guessing the second main dynamic behind the principal movers and shakers in this month's ranking. That small, little-known tournament known as the FIFA World Cup™ certainly had a telling and, in some cases, spectacular impact, and all the more so because of this new rule dictating that only the past four years' results are taken into account. This was evident from the top five downwards, where Brazil just hung on to top spot from Italy, who jumped 11 places after succeeding the Seleção as world champions. The Final itself might have been marred by Zinedine Zidane's dismissal and decided in the least desirable fashion, but over the course of the tournament, their solidity and solidarity had set them apart from many a more-fancied rival."Maybe it wasn't pretty, but we were hard to beat," said their tigerish midfield scrapper Gennaro Gattuso after the penalty shoot-out win over France, acknowledging the colossal roles played by Fabio Cannavaro, Italy's decisive, dynamic captain, and the agile, often-unbeatable Gianluigi Buffon. Coach Marcello Lippi, meanwhile, praised his players for the "unlimited heart, character and personality," that had seen them brush aside Ghana, Czech Republic, Australia, Ukraine and Germany en route to their crowning moment in Berlin's Olympiastadion.The only disappointment for the Azzurri as they look ahead to UEFA EURO 2008 - and, perhaps, to snatching top spot from the Brazilians - is that they will do so without Lippi himself, who resigned in the wake of the Final, claiming that: "I have achieved what I set out to achieve." Beaten finalists France (fourth, up four) also burst into the top five along with the impressive, but ultimately unsuccessful Argentina (third, up six) and another team whose dreams of glory ended in the quarter-finals, England (fifth, up five). Germany, meanwhile, were rewarded for their inspiring march to the semis with a return to the top ten, where they assumed ninth position with a climb of 10 places. Gains for UkraineThis, however, was nothing compared to the dramatic ascent of Oleg Blokhin's Ukraine, who leaped no fewer than 30 spots on the ranking to land in 15th, while the team they eliminated on penalties, Switzerland, recorded a similarly significant 22-place rise to 13th. Paraguay, who jumped 14 places to 19th in the ranking, also benefited from their FIFA World Cup involvement, as did two of the tournament's African newcomers, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Both have now established themselves in world football's top 25 for the first time, with their dynamic, attacking contributions to Germany 2006 finding reward in the shape of a 23-place rise from 48 to 25 for the former, and a jump of 12 spots - from 32 to 20 - for the latter. Agony for Asian trioNot all of the FIFA World Cup participants fared so well, however, and for every rapid rise, there was a drop every bit as dramatic. Saudi Arabia, for example, plummeted fully 47 places to rest in 81st position in the wake of a disappointing campaign, and their Asian rivals had similarly sad tales to recount. Take Japan, who began the tournament in 18th position and now languish in 49th, or Iran - down 24 to 47th - or even 2002 semi-finalists Korea Republic, who dropped out of the top 50 altogether after slumping 27 places to 56th. Finally, and while the FIFA World Cup might understandably have dominated our attentions, we should also recognise the remarkable progress registered by a few non-participants, most notably Equatorial Guinea, who climbed 59 places into 95th position, Canada, who moved to within four places of the top 50 with a 29-place jump, and Guinea, who are now one spot ahead of Ghana, having leaped from 51st to 24th position in this much-changed ranking table. Orient Shao Jiayi ready for Cottbus loan (AFP) 14 Jul 2006Chinese midfielder Shao Jiayi has been loaned to the German Bundesliga club FC Energie Cottbus for a transfer fee worth about 10 million yuan (1.2 million dollars), state press said Friday. Shao's Chinese club, Beijing Guoan, announced that the transfer had been agreed upon and that only a few formalities remained before the loan would be complete, the Beijing Daily Messenger reported. The entire transfer fee will not be paid out in cash, but include the fees for training in Germany of up to six Beijing Guoan youth players, plus a friendly match between Guoan and Cottbus, the paper, citing Guoan officials, said. The 26-year-old Shao was released by second division 1860 Munich at the end of the last season. He had played with the club since 2003. In May, Cottbus won the right to return to top-flight German football, following relegation from the Bundesliga in 2003. MTN signs global deal as first African FIFA World Cup Sponsor until 2010 With the 2006 tournament in Germany just completed, the focus of the football world has now shifted to Africa and its economy for the next four-year cycle which will culminate in the first FIFA World Cup™ on African soil in South Africa. As FIFA embarks on this new era, the world governing body of football is proud to announce that for the first time, an African company - MTN Group Limited - has signed up as a FIFA World Cup Sponsor. This historic agreement awards MTN global rights to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ as well as to the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009. The new partnership, sealed by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and MTN Group President and CEO Phuthuma Nhleko at a private signing ceremony, underlines the commitment of both entities to empower Africa through football."We are proud that MTN has chosen FIFA for this landmark commitment which creates a true partnership with many opportunities for both of us. Telecommunications play a key role in uniting people and we are convinced that we have found a highly dedicated partner in Africa and the Middle East's leading mobile telecommunications group, which is also the keenest supporter of African football on the continent," said FIFA President Blatter."The FIFA World Cup™ has a spectacular reach around the world through the universal language of football and it is this unique attribute that convinced us to commit to this global sponsorship deal. This is an ideal opportunity for us to leverage the powerful assets of MTN to a global audience and to show that the time for Africa has come. It means a lot to us to be part of this unique global movement," said MTN Group President and CEO, Phuthuma Nhleko.MTN will operate in the product area of mobile telecommunication services which spans all key technologies in the mobile sector, including services to media and FIFA as well as to the Organising Committee. In addition to the standard global marketing rights (exclusive commercial use of the Official Marks of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009), MTN has acquired significant mobile content rights for a defined set of territories mainly in Africa and the Middle East, including features such as video highlights of all matches played during these two tournaments in South Africa in 2009 and 2010. MTN is the third company after Anheuser-Busch and McDonald's to join the proposed six-member group of FIFA World Cup Sponsors under FIFA's new commercial hierarchy. This comprises six FIFA Partners, six FIFA World Cup Sponsors and six National Supporters. FIFA has already signed up all six FIFA Partners, namely adidas, Hyundai, Sony, Coca-Cola, Visa and Emirates Airline. In addition, FNB was announced recently as the first National Supporter of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Scolari Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has signed a new two-year contract to remain in charge of the national team, the country's football federation announced Friday. The 57-year-old Brazilian's current deal was set to expire at the end of the month and he had been linked with several other international and club jobs. A Brazilian newspaper report had claimed the former Brazil manager, who won the FIFA World Cup™ with his country in 2002, had turned down the chance to manage them again. O Globo said Brazil's football confederation president Ricardo Texeira offered Scolari the post after Portugal's 2006 FIFA World Cup third-place play-off defeat against Germany last week. But he apparently refused the chance to replace Carlos Alberto Parreira for family reasons. Scolari led Portugal to a fourth place finish at this summer's FIFA World Cup and also took his side to the final of UEFA EURO 2004. Portugal's run to the FIFA World Cup semi-finals in Germany equalled their previous best performance at the tournament, when they made the last four in 1966 before losing to England 2-1. Italian giants stunned by punishments Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina reacted with fury on Friday after they were all relegated from Italian football's top-division and banned from Europe for their part in the country's match-fixing scandal. Juventus were also deducted 30 points from their total for next season and stripped of their last two league titles. Lazio and Fiorentina were penalised seven points and 12 points respectively. AC Milan will stay in Serie A but will lose 15 points and will also be kicked out of the UEFA Champions League. The decisions were handed out just five days after Italy won the FIFA World Cup with a penalty shoot-out victory over France in Berlin. Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli said he was stunned by the decision and that the club will appeal. "It's incredible," he said. "We were expecting a fairer sentence. We don't understand how we can be excluded from the championship. "Juve is the only team which has clearly shown a desire to change. To be in Serie B with a 30-point deduction is absolutely unacceptable. "We do not understand the different legal treatment applied to the four cases under consideration. As the facts have clearly demonstrated, the episodes relating to Juventus under the observation of the sporting tribunal are without question comparable to those with which the other teams are charged. "The difference being that in our case only two matches have been called into question. Therefore our priority is to look after the interests of our fans and those of the minor share holders, and we will do this straight away, by appealing to the Consiglio Federale (of the Italian football federation)." Luciano Moggi, the former director of Juventus whose attempts to have specific referees assigned to his club's matches sparked the scandal, was hit with a five-year suspension. "I am not bitter for myself, but for the teams implicated and for their supporters," he said on Friday. "No match was fixed, no referees were favoured. It is why Juventus and the other clubs, but especially the fans, are frustrated by this sentence." Fiorentina were equally angry. "It's a profound injustice," the club said in a statement. "Out of respect for the city, the fans and the dignity of all those concerned, Fiorentina will battle with all its means to have the light shone on the facts and on its absolute innocence concerning all accusations of fraud." Lazio president Claudio Lotito, who was handed a three-year ban from all sporting activities, said he was stunned by the club's punishment. "It's a sentence we were not expecting," he said. "Lazio has never tried to violate ethical rules." Dujkovic quits as Ghana coach (AFP) 16 Jul 2006Ratomir Dujkovic, who led Ghana to the FIFA World Cup™ second round, resigned on Sunday despite having five months to run on his contract."We have been informed of the resignation and the departure from Ghana of Mr Dujkovic", GFA spokesman Randy Abbey said, without giving a reason for the Serb's decision. The 55-year-old Dujkovic took Ghana to the FIFA World Cup finals for the first time in their history in Germany, where they were knocked out by Brazil in the Round of 16. Roberto Abbondanzieri Argentina goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri said on Sunday that he will leave Boca Juniors and sign for Spanish side Getafe in a 1.5-million Euro deal. "It's the moment to leave," said the 33-year-old. "For me, it's an important challenge because it's probably my last chance (to change clubs)." Abbondanzieri, who played in the Argentina team which made the quarter-finals at the FIFA World Cup™, helped Boca Juniors to 14 league titles. Argentina goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri said on Sunday that he will leave Boca Juniors and sign for Spanish side Getafe in a 1.5-million Euro deal. "It's the moment to leave," said the 33-year-old. "For me, it's an important challenge because it's probably my last chance (to change clubs)." Abbondanzieri, who played in the Argentina team which made the quarter-finals at the FIFA World Cup™, helped Boca Juniors to 14 league titles. After breaking off for the FIFA World Cup™, the Copa Libertadores resumes next week as the eight sides left in the tournament contest the second legs of their quarter-final ties. FIFA.com is on hand to whet your appetite with all the latest news on the teams including player departures, new signings, and the hopes and predictions of the men looking to lift the title and thereby book a place at this year's FIFA Club World Cup. Hopes high for Paraguay's LibertadThe team they call El Gumarelo snatched a valuable 2-2 draw in May's first leg in Buenos Aires and are well-placed to move into the semi-finals. The only player to move on since then is the Argentine Pablo Garnier, who returned home to join Arsenal. Despite attracting serious interest from Boca Juniors, keeper Aldo Bobadilla will be on duty in the return leg in Asuncion. The one other development involving the club will see their Argentine coach Gerardo Martino taking on the Paraguay job at the end of the season, a deserved reward for his excellent spell in charge of Libertad. River Plate plagued by uncertaintyThe joy of knocking out Brazilian giants Corinthians in the previous round was all too short-lived for Los Millonarios, who go into the game in Paraguay with less than 17 players to choose from. A clutch of players departed over the summer including Daniel Montenegro - the side's leading scorer in the tournament - who was sold to Independiente. Coach Daniel Passarella's options have been further reduced by injury, with forward Ernesto Farias currently recovering from a knee operation. New arrivals include Ariel Ortega and Fernando Belluschi, although both are ineligible for next Tuesday's game having already appeared for Newell's Old Boys in earlier rounds. One player who is available is defender Eduardo Tuzzio, who has just returned from Mallorca. Sao Paulo out to make amends for BrazilFollowing the surprise elimination of the five-time world champions at Germany 2006, Sao Paulo are aiming to do the country proud by carrying off the continental title for the second year running. The reigning FIFA Club World Champions boast an unchanged set-up, with the likes of coach Muricy Ramalho, goalscoring keeper Rogerio Ceni and front man Ricardo Oliveira all still in place. The bad news for the Brazilian big guns is that Diego Lugano, their Uruguayan defensive linchpin, will miss the return game against Estudiantes having been dismissed in the 1-0 defeat in the first leg. New man at the helm for EstudiantesDespite that vital 1-0 win and a historic opportunity to advance to the semi-finals, coach Jorge Burruchaga turned his back on Estudiantes La Plata to team up with Independiente Avellaneda. The void was soon filled by another by big name, however, when Diego Simeone - who was in charge at Racing Club last season - took up the reins. El Cholo, as Simeone is known in the football world, wasted little time in snapping up Juan Sebastian Veron from Inter Milan, although the veteran midfielder will only become eligible at the semi-final stage. Striker Mariano Pavone will miss the showdown in Brazil after being red-carded in the first leg. No change for InterPorto Alegre's Internacional, coached by Abel Braga, will come out with all guns blazing as they seek to overturn a 2-1 deficit at home to LDU Quito. Like domestic rivals Sao Paulo, their squad has remained intact. "The break did us good," commented Braga. "It has given us a chance to recover. We were very tired but now we have plenty of time to prepare the team. I just hope it tells on the pitch," he added. Problems for LDUDespite all their hard work in the first half of 2006, LDU Quito have a major headache to deal with. After kicking off the domestic league season with two consecutive defeats, their Peruvian coach Juan Carlos Oblitas tendered his resignation and will leave as soon as LDU's Copa Libertadores run is over. The turmoil has hardly helped the Ecuadorians' preparations for the return leg in Porto Alegre, but hopes are high their returning internationals will all be available for the crunch encounter. "It's not the easiest of situations and we're all concerned about it, but we'll be backing Oblitas out on the pitch," commented the side's Peruvian midfielder Roberto Palacios. Changes up front for Velez SarsfieldAfter compiling the best record in the group phase, the Argentines will have to make do without two of their biggest attacking threats as they prepare to entertain Chivas in next Thursday's return fixture. Leonardo Gracian, the side's playmaker and dead-ball specialist has joined Mexico's Monterrey, while goalscorer Rolando Zarate has been released and is looking for new employers. Coach Miguel Angel Russo decided to retain Lucas Castroman, however, and will pair him up front with Rolando's younger brother Mauro Zarate in a bid to break the 0-0 deadlock from the first leg. Chivas welcome back internationalsIn contrast to the goings-on at Velez, Chivas will be able to call on their main men for a tricky second leg in wintry Buenos Aires, with all but one of their internationals having returned from Germany 2006 duty. The exception is Carlos Salcido, who has been snapped up by Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven. Coach Jose Manuel de la Torre is weighing up three options to replace him: Jonny Magallon, Jose Antonio Patlan and Antonio Olvera, a recent signing from Santos. Brasileiro Following Brazil's failed defence of their FIFA World Cup™ crown and the inevitable post-mortem, focus within the country this week returned to its domestic championship, the Brasileiro The competition resumed after six weeks of inactivity, with Cruzeiro leading Internacional, Sao Paulo, Fluminense and Santos at the summit of the 20-team division. The pacesetters picked up from where they had left off with a 2-0 win over the reigning champions, extending their unbeaten run to ten matches with victory against a Corinthians side who have now gone five games without a goal and continue to languish in the relegation zone. Cruzeiro's form, however, continues to suggest that they are well equipped to stage a repeat of their 2003 Brasileiro triumph, and the Raposa's success owes much to coach Paulo Cesar Gusmao. His tactical nous and willingness to hand youngsters important roles has paid dividends this season, and the 44-year-old's reputation has skyrocketed accordingly, even to the extent that his name has been linked to the national team post. Gusmao has turned Cruzeiro into an efficient unit, built around an impressive spine made up of goalkeeper Fabio, stopper Edu Dracena, midfield dynamo Wanger and forward Gil. They are joint-top scorers in the tournament, and no-one has conceded fewer. Internacional and Sao Paulo continued in hot pursuit of Cruzeiro by overcoming Ponte Preta and Gremio respectively. Ricardo Oliveira was the hero for the Tricolor Paulista, scoring twice as Sao Paulo came from behind to defeat Gremio 2-1. Fluminense, meanwhile, maintained their challenge with a slender victory against Juventude. The visiting side twice had their noses in front, but a quick-fire double from Fluminense swung the pendulum in their favour, and saw them claim a 3-2 win.