The 2024 Ballon d’Or remains a bitter pill to swallow for Madrid fans. Nearly a month after Rodri’s unexpected triumph ahead of Vinícius Júnior, revelations about the real identities of certain voters have emerged, sparking negative surprise: they are linked to Barça.
Last Sunday, Florentino Pérez reignited the controversy surrounding the 2024 Ballon d’Or. During the ordinary and extraordinary general assembly of Real Madrid’s partners and members, the president of the Whites did not mince his words. First criticising UEFA’s involvement in the organisation of the event, which has been run by France Football for years, the 77-year-old also took aim at voters from countries such as El Salvador, Albania, Uganda, Namibia, and Finland, who, contrary to what many had hoped, did not select Vinícius Júnior as the winner.
The Barça connection revealed among two voters
The journalist representing El Salvador was quickly exposed as a Barça supporter, openly expressing his disdain for Vinícius Júnior. The identity of the Namibian journalist was also uncovered. Feeling humiliated by Florentino Pérez’s remarks last Sunday, Sheefeni Nicodemus responded controversially on Cadena Ser.
“Deep down, I suspect these are just the words of someone frustrated, like Mr Pérez,” he began.
“In other words, he believes that the people from my country and the other countries mentioned don’t have significant votes because we are inferior. I’d just like to know: if I were from one of the major football nations and disagreed with his opinion, what would his argument be?” continued Nicodemus, who had not awarded any points to Vinícius Júnior during the 2024 Ballon d’Or vote. Now known to the general public, Nicodemus has quickly been identified as a staunch supporter of FC Barcelona.
A devoted fan who failed to remain impartial
As revealed on his Instagram account with a photo of himself wearing a Barça jersey taken a few years ago, he is a die-hard fan of the Catalans. “I am in an abusive relationship with FC Barcelona,” the Namibian journalist posted. While this image and his statement have gone viral on social media, the media figure, whom Florentino Pérez described as “unknown to the public,” has now set his account to private—likely to avoid the negative comments being left under his posts.
Despite this change in privacy settings, Sheefeni Nicodemus continues to generate bad press among Madrid fans, with screenshots of his posts still circulating widely.
A vote tainted by partiality
It is clear that ardent Barça supporters, from a club that rivals Real Madrid, not awarding any points to Vinícius Júnior in the 2024 Ballon d’Or vote demonstrates that the process was not conducted fairly. As we recently revealed, since France Football does not offer remuneration to its voters, journalists from smaller, lesser-known countries did not exercise proper judgement.
Rather than behaving like true journalists and remaining impartial, they allowed their fanaticism for the Catalan club to deprive “Vini” of a trophy he clearly deserved. The damage is done, but with revelations now shedding light on the real identities of those who worked against the 24-year-old Madrid winger, it is evident that France Football must seriously reconsider its approach to ensure fairness moving forward.
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