A few weeks after the 68th edition of the Ballon d’Or, which saw Rodri crowned by a few points ahead of Vinícius Júnior, Florentino Pérez voiced his frustration with some of the voters. While criticism is mounting against UEFA and France Football, the editorial team at Realdemadrid has gathered a chilling testimony from a journalist in Africa.
Since 1956, France Football has been rewarding the best footballers of the year with the Ballon d’Or. While this distinction, now a benchmark in players’ careers, has always attracted some criticism, things have worsened in recent years. Despite the organisers’ efforts to restore the event’s splendour and credibility, major issues have come to light, such as this year, when the world cried scandal after Rodri’s victory over Vinícius Júnior.
Pérez criticises the France Football jury
Speaking before several Madridistas this Sunday, Florentino Pérez did not hold back in his criticism of UEFA for changing the voting system, with criteria seemingly tailored to harm Vinícius Júnior. Without mincing words, the president of Real Madrid also took aim at journalists who did not vote (not even in their top 10) for his player, who had done everything to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or. For the famous Spanish executive, the 100 specialised journalists from France Football are not at all credible.
“There are journalists no one knows who voted this year. Without the votes from journalists in countries like Uganda, Namibia, Albania, and Finland, Vinícius would have won the Ballon d’Or,” said the president of Real Madrid, who also expressed his satisfaction with the Finnish journalist who resigned from the jury after admitting to making a mistake by not placing Vini in his top 10.
If Florentino Pérez’s comments raise concerns about the credibility of the France Football event organised with UEFA and L’Équipe, there are indeed some unsaid truths.
The damning revelation about a voter in Africa
A few days after the controversial verdict crowning Rodri, the editorial team at Realdemadrid learned a scandalous piece of information. According to our source, who prefers to remain anonymous, one of the African voters, who could not afford the necessary subscriptions to follow European football, had to consult with others to allocate points to the Ballon d’Or candidates. “He doesn’t have Canal+ to follow the Champions League and the leagues,” our informant confirmed.
This is a damning revelation for France Football, given the prestige surrounding the Ballon d’Or. As Florentino Pérez regrets, several grey areas surround how things are handled by the event organisers, which takes place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Today, France Football must rethink the selection criteria for the Ballon d’Or jury.
The causes of controversial votes
Knowing that the jurors receive no financial compensation for their participation in the voting, some base their choices on their emotions or personal biases, rather than on thorough analysis. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that in many countries, particularly in Africa, sports journalism struggles to offer decent working conditions. Without substantial income, many journalists cannot afford subscriptions to the channels broadcasting the matches or access the essential content needed to follow major competitions.
It is clear that under these circumstances, it is understandable that their choices are influenced by personal preferences or by the few matches they were able to watch. It is now up to the organisers to quickly rethink the issues by revising the jury selection criteria with specific requirements, ensuring they have both the skills and resources necessary to objectively evaluate players’ performances.
What could change the game
Organising a major event like the Ballon d’Or is no simple task. With lobbying from clubs, France Football, which has decided to collaborate with UEFA, should avoid keeping things vague in the organisation, or risk permanently discrediting the event, which no longer holds value in the face of players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Robert Lewandowski. Already, with the jury reduced to the top 100 FIFA countries for men, perhaps it is time to reinstate the participation of national team captains and coaches, as was the case when FIFA was a partner in the event.
With the participation of captains and managers, who are the primary players in the game, there would be little controversy. Indeed, if some journalists fail in their duty in future editions, the key figures at the heart of the sport could set the record straight with their votes. Knowing that they have most of the time made relevant choices, it is important for France Football to return to FIFA to have its members (captains and coaches) vote in order to avoid never-ending scandals.
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