Emma Hayes, head coach of the U.S. women’s national team, criticized the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which takes place during Women’s FIFA.
Hayes won the inaugural Ballon d’Or award for best women’s coach on Monday, but like most players and coaches in the women’s game, she was not in Paris to accept the award along with the rest of the world of soccer. .
“So it’s like running the Oscars or the Golden Globes without women in attendance,” Hayes said Tuesday from Louisville, Kentucky. “That’s not going to happen. And to be honest, I think it’s often an afterthought.”
Hayes said he is honored to receive the award and is excited to be with the team in Louisville, where the USWNT plays Argentina on Wednesday.
“But for those players and coaches, it’s the only moment in the industry that they’re recognized for, and I think that’s unfortunate. I talked to the organizers about it and they said it wasn’t going to happen in the future. He said things will change. Let’s hope.” That’s the truth. ”
This year marks the first time that the Coach Award has been included in the Ballon d’Or ceremony. Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti won the men’s coaching award.
The Ballon d’Or has been awarded to the world’s best male player since 1956. In 2018, a women’s award was added, and the ceremony quickly became embroiled in a sexist controversy when the host asked the winner, Lyon’s Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg: If only she could twerk.
Spain national team midfielder Aitana Bommatti has won the 2024 Women’s Ballon d’Or award for the second consecutive year.
Five players from the U.S. women’s national team have been selected as one of the 30 candidates for the 2024 Women’s Ballon d’Or. Forward Sophia Smith was voted fourth, midfielder Lindsey Horan was fifth, forward Mallory Swanson was sixth and forward Trinity Rodman was ninth. American goaltender Alyssa Neher finished 17th in the final voting.
Hayes said his Ballon d’Or honor was a result of the quality of players both at Chelsea, where he coached until May, and at the USWNT, which he led to Olympic gold in just 10 games after taking over in August. She won her fifth consecutive Women’s Super League title about a week before flying to New York to begin her role with the USWNT.
“We’re only as good as our players,” Hayes said. “And I’ve been fortunate enough to coach some great players, both at Chelsea and here with the national team, which has allowed the team to compete at the same level as them, and I’ve worked really, really hard to do that. Thank you. ”
Hayes also won the FIFA Manager of the Year award in 2021 during his time at Chelsea.
She said Tuesday that individual honors are “the least interesting thing” to her because soccer is a team game. She named Washington Spirit and former Barcelona coach Jonathan Giraldes and Brazil national team coach Artur Elias as equally deserving of this year’s top coaching honor.
The USWNT defeated Brazil in the Olympic gold medal match. Giraldes led Barcelona to the last two Champions League titles, defeating Chelsea in the two legs of the semi-finals both years.
Hayes also said women’s football needed to be made more accessible to more people. She sarcastically nodded at the omission of USWNT centre-back Naomi Girma from the 30 candidates for the Ballon d’Or. Hayes called Girma “the best defender I’ve ever seen” during his time on the Olympic team.
“Yes, we can sit here all day and say Naomi Girma should be there, but she should too. So we still got all this right in the women’s game. We don’t understand it. But we recognize the talent we have.”I know that our players are very proud of their ability to perform on the world stage. So it’s really great for us. ”
