Ballon d'Or organizers break silence on Real Madrid 'boycott over Vinicius snub'

Organizers of the Ballon d'Or awards insisted on Monday that “no player or club” knows who has won the award, responding to Real Madrid's decision to boycott the event because they believe That Vinicius will not win. “All clubs and players are in the same boat,” a Ballon d'Or source told AFP, pointing to the strict privacy rules set for this 2024 edition.

Real Madrid said they will stay away from the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris on Monday because they believe their striker ViniciusThe favorites to win the men's award have been overlooked.

The club told AFP it questioned the methods behind the selection of the Ballon d'Or winner and said another of the 30 players nominated, defender Dani Carvajal, had also been unfairly overlooked.

“If the award criteria do not allow it Vinicius As the winner, then the same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner,” the club told AFP.

“Since this was not the case, it is clear that the Ballon d'Or-UEFA does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.”

Ballon d'Or organizers decided to do something new this year by keeping the identity of the winner a secret until the end to avoid any leaks to the press.

In previous years, the winner was revealed a few days before the awards ceremony.

All nominees were invited to the ceremony in Paris this evening.

The absence of Real players and the club's announcement shows that neither ViniciusNeither Carvajal nor Jude Bellingham, the architect of the club's European triumphs, would win the trophy.

This could clear the way for Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Rodri, who won Euro 2024 and was named the best player of the tournament by UEFA.

The Ballon d'Or is awarded by a jury of journalists representing the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings.