x

BREAKING: 2020 Ballon d’Or Award cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

 

The Ballon d’Or will not be awarded this year due to the extraordinary conditions created by the coronavirus pandemic, organizers France Football announced on Monday.

The decision comes after consultation with the group stakeholders, who decided that the conditions under which the award is usually handed out could not be met this year.

It will be the first time the trophy given for the world’s best men’s footballer has not been awarded since Englishman Stanley Matthews won the inaugural edition in 1956.

 

“There will be no edition in 2020, because it turns out, after thoughtful consideration, that all the conditions are not met,” said Pascal Ferre, the editor of the magazine.

The COVID-19 outbreak saw all major football leagues shut down in March, with the German Bundesliga the first to resume behind closed doors in May.

France Football said it would be unfair to vote on the world’s best player when some leagues, including the French Ligue 1, cancelled their seasons early.

Ferre also suggested that it would not be right to judge players based on games played without spectators present.

“We believe that such a singular year cannot… be treated as an ordinary year,” he added.

“Two months (January and February), out of the eleven generally required to form an opinion and decide who should lift the trophies, represent far too little to gauge and judge, without forgetting that the other games were played –- or will be played –- in unusual conditions (behind closed doors, with five replacements, Champions League’s Final 8 played in a single game).”

Lionel Messi won a record-breaking sixth Ballon d’Or last year.

The women’s Ballon d’Or, which was first awarded in 2018, has also been cancelled.

France Football added that it was looking forward to holding a ceremony in 2021, but that this year it would instead organise a vote for the all-time greatest men’s XI.

Hot this week

Editors Urge Government To Create Safe, Enabling Environment For Journalists

· Ask security agents to find missing Vanguard journalist As...

EXCLUSIVE: Buhari orders probe of Isa Funtua, AMCON over keystone and Etisalat

Following the controversy generated by the leading opposition party,...

6 Signs your boyfriend thinks you are ugly -Take note of No. 2

They say there are three kinds of people; the...

2023: South-East, Middle Belt Forum Endorses Peter Obi

The South-East and Middle Belt Forum has endorsed the...

Gov Eno commissions FG funded 100-bed Specialist Hospital

By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom yesterday...

Police launch investigationinto murder of A’Ibom man in church , arrest rapists

By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo The Police in Alwa Ibom has launched...

Davido, Chioma Arrive in Miami Ahead of Lavish White Wedding

Afrobeats sensation David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, and...

El-Rufai Still a Key Stakeholder in APC – Party Chieftain Affirms

A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC)...

IWD: Time-Saving Tips Every Busy Mom Needs

This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the strength, resilience,...

“My Husband Is Threatening My Life” – Actress Evan Okoro Cries Out

Award-winning Nollywood actress, Evan Okoro, has publicly cried out...
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

spot_imgspot_img