Not Robert Lewandowski, but Lionel Messi. Rarely has the Ballon d’Or election caused more controversy than the most recent. It ensured that the formula of the football prize came under a magnifying glass.
Organizer France Football also questioned its own price and now comes with a drastic reform of four rules.
The most significant is that the Ballon d’Or will now be awarded on a season basis and no longer a calendar year. In September or October, the next laureate will therefore be chosen based on the 2021-2022 season.
“This is an opportunity to give a new impetus. With a clearer concept,” said Pascal Ferré, editor-in-chief of France Football.
The reform comes in a year in which the calendar is turned upside down by the World Cup in Qatar. This takes place in November and December, and not as usual in the summer months. Excellence at the World Cup will therefore only be rewarded at the Ballon d’Or 2023.
A second change in the regulations is that the list of contenders is now not only drawn up by journalists from France Football. This select group is supplemented by ambassadors (such as Didier Drogba) and a few voters who showed themselves the most meticulous during the previous election.
Another reform is limiting the number of voters. The jury will still consist of journalists, one per country, but only the top 100 of the FIFA ranking will have a representative (up from 170 before). 50 journalists can vote for the female Ballon d’Or.
It sometimes happened that a voter from Verweghistan hoped for 5 seconds of fame by submitting a completely ridiculous voting form.
Finally, winning collective prizes is given less weight and the emphasis should be more on “individual performance”. The voters are also no longer allowed to take into account the entire career of the player.
In this way, France Football wants to avoid criticism from again such as after the victory of Lionel Messi in 2021. The Argentinian was then surprisingly elected to Ballon d’Or for the seventh time, while most observers had put forward the Pole Robert Lewandowski as the largest candidate. -winner.
