Not a week seems to go by recently without FIFA stirring up some controversy. Luckily, this week the raised-eyebrows come not from disgraceful accusations of bribery, nor sickening revelations of endorsing human rights violations. Instead, the world federation of football has posted its shortlist for the FIFA Football Coach of the Year award.

It must be said that the list seems to include rather a few coaches who would have been more deserving of the award in the past, and omits a number of coaches who are more deserving of the award now, for achievements over the past year rather than over their whole career.

Surely that is what a yearly award should do? Recognise the best coaching achievements of the previous year, and not just include a staple of managers who it could be routinely said are among the best coaches in the world.

For example, Jose Mourinho is included on this year's shortlist. Admittedly, he is one of the best coaches in the world at this point in time; yet last year he lost the respect of the Real Madrid dressing room, failed to win any major trophies and said himself that the 2012-2013 season was 'the worst of my career'. A worthy candidate for the FIFA Football Coach of the Year? No.

Equally, the man who took the reins from Mourinho at Real Madrid for this season, Carlo Ancelotti, has been included on the shortlist as well. Undoubtedly, Ancelotti is a fine coach and one of the best in the world, but his achievement was winning the French Ligue 1 with a budget that was unfathomable to any of the clubs that finished below his Paris Saint Germain side. A year of achievement? No.

Even more inexplicable is Vicente Del Bosque's inclusion. Again he is a great manager, winning the World Cup and European Championships with Spain. But losing the Confederations Cup in a 3-0 humbling against Brazil and drawing against Finland should hardly be made to seem like a prerequisite for making the shortlist.

Where is Diego Simeone, the Atletico Madrid coach who has beaten Real Madrid twice away from home within the space of a few months, won the 2013 Copa del Rey (against Madrid) and who has taken his club to second place in La Liga, breathing down the neck of a shaky Barcelona side?

Or Phillippe Montanier, Real Sociedad coach until the end of last season, who bought Champions League to the club for the first time in ten years?

Just looking at the list, there are many more inclusions and exclusions that are too strange to explain the thinking behind.

Or are they? The one thing that can be said for this shortlist is it proves exactly what FIFA have been trying to disprove for a few years now: that they are out of touch with the game, and too stuck in their old ways to change their thinking.

Exactly the kind of thing you want from the world governing body of the world's most popular sport.

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