The 2020 Edition Of The Ballon d'Or Awards Has Been Cancelled.
France Football, organiser of the Ballon d’Or, have announced on Monday, that there will be no 2020 Ballon d'Or due to the global health crisis caused by coronavirus.
The prestigious annual award, is a Golden Ball that has always been given to the best player on the planet, since it's inception in 1956, but for the first time in history, it will not hold this year.
Instead of the individual prize there will only be a best XI of the 2019-20 season.
This means 2019 winner Lionel Messi will remain the best player for another 12 months before a new winner will be announced next year.
The Barcelona/Argentine superstar has bagged it a record six times, which makes him the only player with the highest Ballon d'Or awards, while his closest rival Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus has five.
The award was formerly a merger of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the Ballon d'Or, the two most prestigious individual honours in world football by FIFA from 2010 to 2015.
France Football reintroduced the previous format of the Ballon d'Or after terminating their partnership with FIFA in 2016, while FIFA created The Best FIFA Men's Player award.
In a statement released on their website, the organisers said;
“For the first time in its history, started in 1956, the France Football Ballon d’Or will not be awarded in 2020, owing to insufficient fair conditions,” France Football wrote in a statement.
“Messi and Rapinoe (as well as De Ligt and Alisson, winners of the Kopa and Yachine Trophies) will have to wait a year. The winners of the last edition of the BO will have no successors at the end of the year. Because there will be no Ballon d’Or 2020 edition.
“Why? Because such a singular year cannot – and should not – be treated as an ordinary year. When in doubt, it is better to abstain than to persist.
“Because the Ballon d’Or trophy conveys other values – like exemplarity, solidarity and responsibility – rather than merely sporting excellence alone.
“Because the fairness that prevails for this honorary title could not be preserved, in particular at the statistical level and also in the preparation since all the aspirants to the award could not be rightly compared, some having seen their season cut radically short, others not. So how can we compare the incomparable?
“Because of our approximately 220 jurors (men and women combined) distributed around the world, some may have been distracted or diverted from their observation due to other priorities and emergencies to manage.
“We did not want to put an indelible asterisk on the prize list like “trophy won in exceptional circumstances due to the Covid-19 health crisis”. We will always prefer a small sprain to our history to a large scar.
“This is the first time since 1956 that the Ballon d’Or has taken a break. The situation does not enchant us but seems to us the most responsible and logical decision. Protecting the credibility and legitimacy of such an award also means protecting it over time.
“Our story is too precious to take the risk of damaging it with a wobbly exercise. In these turbulent times, taking a break is a luxury and an invaluable necessity. So that football, as a whole, regains momentum, passion and emotion.”
The Women's Ballon d'Or, which was inaugurated in 2018, has also been cancelled along with the Kopa award for the best young player and the Yashin award for the best keeper. In place of the individual awards a best XI of the season will be named as well.
The prestigious annual award, is a Golden Ball that has always been given to the best player on the planet, since it's inception in 1956, but for the first time in history, it will not hold this year.
Instead of the individual prize there will only be a best XI of the 2019-20 season.
This means 2019 winner Lionel Messi will remain the best player for another 12 months before a new winner will be announced next year.
The Barcelona/Argentine superstar has bagged it a record six times, which makes him the only player with the highest Ballon d'Or awards, while his closest rival Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus has five.
The award was formerly a merger of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the Ballon d'Or, the two most prestigious individual honours in world football by FIFA from 2010 to 2015.
France Football reintroduced the previous format of the Ballon d'Or after terminating their partnership with FIFA in 2016, while FIFA created The Best FIFA Men's Player award.
In a statement released on their website, the organisers said;
“For the first time in its history, started in 1956, the France Football Ballon d’Or will not be awarded in 2020, owing to insufficient fair conditions,” France Football wrote in a statement.
“Messi and Rapinoe (as well as De Ligt and Alisson, winners of the Kopa and Yachine Trophies) will have to wait a year. The winners of the last edition of the BO will have no successors at the end of the year. Because there will be no Ballon d’Or 2020 edition.
“Why? Because such a singular year cannot – and should not – be treated as an ordinary year. When in doubt, it is better to abstain than to persist.
“Because the Ballon d’Or trophy conveys other values – like exemplarity, solidarity and responsibility – rather than merely sporting excellence alone.
“Because the fairness that prevails for this honorary title could not be preserved, in particular at the statistical level and also in the preparation since all the aspirants to the award could not be rightly compared, some having seen their season cut radically short, others not. So how can we compare the incomparable?
“Because of our approximately 220 jurors (men and women combined) distributed around the world, some may have been distracted or diverted from their observation due to other priorities and emergencies to manage.
“We did not want to put an indelible asterisk on the prize list like “trophy won in exceptional circumstances due to the Covid-19 health crisis”. We will always prefer a small sprain to our history to a large scar.
“This is the first time since 1956 that the Ballon d’Or has taken a break. The situation does not enchant us but seems to us the most responsible and logical decision. Protecting the credibility and legitimacy of such an award also means protecting it over time.
“Our story is too precious to take the risk of damaging it with a wobbly exercise. In these turbulent times, taking a break is a luxury and an invaluable necessity. So that football, as a whole, regains momentum, passion and emotion.”
The Women's Ballon d'Or, which was inaugurated in 2018, has also been cancelled along with the Kopa award for the best young player and the Yashin award for the best keeper. In place of the individual awards a best XI of the season will be named as well.
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