International Rankings are a waste of time

The FIFA Rankings have often been a source of derision, with many arguing that they are deeply flawed. Certainly, we have seen some bizarre results, such as:

• England ranked 4th in the world after a less than inspiring performance at Euro 2012;

• Norway reaching the heights of second in the early 1990s, despite playing long ball under Egil Olsen and going out of USA 1994 at the group stage;

• Talking of the Americans, their national team was ranked as high as 4th during 2006, which even their goalkeeper Kasey Keller was surprised at!

So do the rankings have any bearing on what happens in international football?