Nehru Cup win won't help India's ranking

Completing a hattrick of Nehru Cup titles by beating Cameroon was laudable for the character India (ranked 168) showed in Sunday's final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. But in terms of improving their Fifa rankings though, that win won't count for anything.

Completing a hattrick of Nehru Cup titles by beating Cameroon was laudable for the character India (ranked 168) showed in Sunday's final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. But in terms of improving their Fifa rankings though, that win won't count for anything.

That is because Cameroon fielded their 'B' team. So, none of their matches will be considered for September's Fifa rankings, due to be released on Wednesday.

In an email to HT, Fifa's media department said: "Cameroon informed Fifa that they would take part in this tournament with their 'B' team. Therefore, the matches were not classified as 'A' matches and will not be included in the ranking."

Fifa also confirmed that the caps earned and goals scored against the African side in the Nehru Cup will not be counted.