India up 24 spots to No. 143

New Delhi: India achieved their best ever Fifa ranking in the post Bob Houghton era, when they jumped 24 places to occupy the 143rd position. In the rankings released last month, India were placed at 167.

In December 2010, India, coached by Houghton, were placed at 142. The British coach resigned from his post a few months later after being accused of making racial remarks against an Indian referee. Houghton’s best came in 2009, when India ended the year as the 134th-ranked team.

In the latest rankings, India avoided the ignominy of being placed below Nepal and Bangladesh. They are still not the No. 1 team among the SAFF nations as the honour went to Afghanistan, who are placed at 141.

“Afghanistan have been doing a great job in developing the game in their country. Their ranking is the true reflection of their hard work,” said Shaji Prabhakaran, Fifa development officer.