Ballon d'Or football award process tweaked

Paris: The criteria for claiming Ballon d’Or which is one of the most prestigious prizes in football has been tweaked by France Football for the current year and beyond on Friday.

The Ballon d’Or will now be awarded on the basis of a classic football season which is August to July rather than on yearly stats.

Organisers further confirmed that the FIFA World Cup in Qatar will count for the 2023 award. The jury that selects the winner will be reduced to around 100 journalists rather than the current 170. The women’s award will have a jury of 50.

“Also, by proceeding with a slight shift in time, with an abandonment of the calendar rhythm and an alignment of the BO (men and women) on the classic seasonality of football – for the month of August, which coincides with the start of the major championships and the European preliminary rounds, the following July, which corresponds to the lowering of the curtain for all competitions, national and international, selections included – we end up with a clarification of the performances to be counted and evaluated.

The next edition will therefore take into account the entire 2021-22 season which will end with the Women’s Euro (July 6-31, 2022). The World Cup in Qatar (November 21-December 18, 2022) will, however, include the 2023 Ballon d’Or edition,” the statement said.

In another change, former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba is joining the committee that picks nominees.

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Lionel Messi was the last man to land the Ballon d’Or.