A year ago, France Football decided to change the rules of the trophy with the aim of making the selection fairer.
The Ballon d’Or, despite the criticism it has received, is the most important individual award in world football. “France Football” awards the award every year to those who, according to the votes of footballers, coaches and experts, have been the best player. However, she has decided to change the rules to make the elections fairer and simplify decision-making.
Rules for the Ballon d’Or
For 2022, the most significant change to the rules was the one made regarding when players must be assessed. Until then, the intention was to take into account the time span of a calendar year, that is, from January to December. However, now we have take the season into account. This means that the votes for the award will have to judge what the footballer has done between August of one year and July of the following year. This year the end will be marked by the Women’s Football World Cup won by Spain.
This means that the World Cup in Qatar, which was held between November and December 2022, had no importance in the evaluations of the 2022 ceremony and has importance for the 2023 ceremony. It should be remembered that in the World Cup years It achieving it is usually a differentiating factor in lifting the trophy. That’s why Messi is the favorite to win the award in 2023.
Candidates for the Ballon d’Or
Another change concerns the designation of the candidates for the prize. In September, France Football presented a list of the 30 best in the world and contenders for the trophyin addition to 20 players, 10 goalkeepers for the Yashin Award and 10 young people for the Kopa. This first selection is made by the editorial staff of “France Football” and “L’Equipe”, plus the novelty of Didier Drogba, ambassador of the award, and the voters of the previous edition who were closest to the final result.
Ballon d’Or jury
If there were 170 countries with voting rights so far, From 2022 it was reduced to 100, those with the best FIFA rankings. “You lose the picturesqueness, but you gain legitimacy and reliability,” they said of “L’Equipe.”
Criteria for the Ballon d’Or
The criteria that voters must take into account when choosing the winners have also changed. First of all, these are the individual performances of your team and your influence on the team in which you play. The second relates to the collective prizes achieved with their respective teams. The third focuses on the player’s Fair Play, specifically assessing his attitude on the playing field.
The criterion that placed value on the ‘player’s career’ has been eliminatedSo there is no need to take into account what the footballer did in previous years. This change is intended to give more value to the specific performances of the season.
Source: Goal