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FOOTBALL

Brazil finish top for fourth year

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LONDON, Engand -- World champions Brazil won the Team of the Year award for the 10th time after topping the rankings for a fourth straight year, ruling body FIFA announced on Monday.

The Czech Republic are second and the Netherlands third while all the top 10 will be at the World Cup finals in Germany next year.

Ghana, making their finals debut in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, are the most improved team of 2005, rising 27 positions to 50th.

Angola are the lowest-ranked team at the 2006 finals, at 61st.

The world governing body FIFA said in a statement that fellow finalists Trinidad and Tobago had been the most active team in 2005, playing 28 matches.

Brazil, the 2005 Confederations Cup champions, topped the bill with 840 points having suffered two defeats -- against Argentina and Mexico --in 16 matches this year.

They were also first in the rankings from1994-1999.

Leading rankings (November position in brackets):

1. (1) Brazil 840 2. (2) Czech Republic 796 3. (3) Netherlands 791 4. (4) Argentina 772 5˝ (7) Mexico 768 (6) Spain (5) France 8. (8) United States 767 9 (9) England 757 10. (10) Portugal 754 11. (11) Turkey 748 12. (12) Italy 741 13. (13) Denmark 733 14. (14) Sweden 732 15. (15) Japan 715 16˝ (16) Germany 708 (17) Greece 18. (18) Uruguay 706 19. (19) Iran 703 20. (20) Croatia 701

Note: FIFA's standings are based on a statistical analysis of countries' results over eight years, weighted according to how recently the matches were played, the strength of the opponents and the importance of each match.

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