Another year, another Ballon d’Or award ceremony. And once again, we find voices within the women’s soccer community echoing past grievances.
Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bommatti has once again won a major award, but the prestigious competition, which is supposed to celebrate the pinnacle of football, is steeped in a troubling history of disrespect for the women’s game. Instead of making progress, this ceremony feels like a cycle that undermines the extraordinary talent and dedication of female athletes.
When Lyon’s Ada Hegerberg received the inaugural award in 2018, she was asked by French DJ Martin Solveig if she could twerk on stage, and the moment was shared by tennis star Andy Murray and others. publicly criticized. In 2023, when Bommatty won, tennis player Novak Djokovic, known for his opposition to equal pay in sports, was chosen as the recipient. It was a slap in the face to those who support women’s sports. had Murray or Billie Jean King might have been considered options to join from the tennis world.
This year, Hollywood actress Natalie Portman, one of the many co-owners of the NWSL’s Angel City, awarded Bonmati her second Ballon d’Or. Given that she’s a champion of the sport, it may be a small step to be a little more inclusive and equal, but men’s winners are often handed their awards by soccer legends – for example. , George Weah presented a certificate to Rodri — which suggests that he presented the award to Rodri. Serious lack of effort on the part of the organizers.
And the rudeness gets even worse when you look at the ceremony schedule.
Since the introduction of the women’s Ballon d’Or category in 2018, the event has consistently been scheduled during the women’s national team break, often the day before an important qualifier or long-planned friendly.
England’s Georgia Stanway, who came 23rd last year and was not nominated this term, highlighted this oversight as very few candidates were able to attend in October 2023. [frustrating] Because it’s potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she says, adding, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be selected for such a prestigious award again. So I’m looking forward to enjoying this experience and being present and feeling… I think that’s really wonderful.” Like a star among stars. If it was better planned, it would be easier for more female soccer players to participate. ”
This year, England manager Sarina Wigman was nominated for the inaugural Women’s Coach of the Year award, but was unable to attend in person. “Obviously it’s really disappointing because this is a moment to celebrate women’s football, the game of women’s football and the whole football community as a whole community,” he said on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against South. she said at a press conference. Africa. “You want to be there, but we have a job to do, so we’re here. We’d really appreciate it if you could do that.” [the ceremony] May be scheduled for another day. ”
Former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes won the Coach of the Year award based on five consecutive Women’s Super League titles before leading the U.S. women’s national team to Olympic gold in just three months on the job, but Hayes and the U.S. Five candidates were unable to attend the ceremony.
Of the 30 players who made it to the shortlist, those who actually attended were Barcelona’s Bonmati, Caroline Graham-Hansen, Salma Pararuelo, Alexia Putelas, and Tigres UANL’s Jenni Hermoso (who won the Socrates Award for her humanitarian work). (more on that below), and Arsenal’s Mariona Caldenti to name a few. It was a huge shock to the women’s national soccer team.
If there were no male candidates for the Ballon d’Or due to scheduling conflicts, there would be a backlash. So why are women’s games tolerated? Who is responsible for this oversight? And who will stand up and make it right? Every year, this issue is brought into the spotlight, but nothing changes.
The event aims to celebrate the achievements of both men and women in soccer, but the women’s game is often left on the back burner. “It was a checkbox to get women involved, but they weren’t doing it right,” former candidate Beth Meade said last year.
The first women’s Ballon d’Or was awarded 62 years after the men’s, in 1956, when women’s soccer was still banned in many regions. However, even when it was introduced, the list of candidates was limited to 20 people, compared to 30 for men. It took until the 2023 edition to correct this discrepancy. But others are still there.
Men’s awards include the Copa Trophy for the best young player and the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper, but there is no equivalent award for women. Some argue that the talent pool in women’s football is small at the top level, but given the rapid growth of women’s football in recent years, this seems a flimsy excuse.
Notably, the Copa Trophy was introduced only for men in 2018, while the Yashin Trophy was introduced in 2019. If similar awards for women continue at the same pace, a female Kopa Trophy or Yashin Trophy winner may not emerge until 2080.
And official social media accounts display blatant laziness and disregard for female candidates. When the players were first announced a few months ago, it was haphazard and riddled with errors. Caldenti, for example, was listed as a Chelsea international despite signing for Arsenal at the start of the season.
Then, during the ceremony, each male athlete from 30th to 10th place received a separate post celebrating their accomplishments with video highlights. For women, these candidates were listed together in groups of five, with only their name and age displayed, not their nationality, club, achievements or honors.
Another point of contention was the awarding of the Women’s Club of the Year award, which celebrates Barcelona’s historic four titles, including two consecutive Champions League titles. Rather than focusing on the women’s performance, host Didier Drogba shifted his attention to the men’s team and their 4-0 result over the weekend. el clasico Barcelona president Joan Laporta praised men’s coach Hansi Flick following the win over Real Madrid.
This was a great opportunity for both club representatives and presenters to wax lyrical about the extraordinary success of Barcelona’s women’s team. In fact, their accomplishments were overshadowed by unnecessary comments about the men’s team. Praising the men’s team while accepting an award honoring the women’s team is tone-deaf and only further emphasizes the lack of respect.
Finally, he won the Socrates Award, which was introduced in 2022 and is given to footballers for their humanitarian work. This year, we will be focusing on sexual violence to fight inequality against women after RFEF President Luis Rubiales forcibly kissed her on the lips without her consent during a medal ceremony after the successful 2023 World Cup. The award was given to Spanish national team forward Hermoso in recognition of his stance against the United States.
Rubiales resigned and received a three-year ban from FIFA, but Hermoso received an award for her work fighting for women’s equality at a ceremony that continues to highlight deep gender inequality. That was very ironic. When she was honored, even though the women in the room were already on their feet, the men didn’t follow, so the organizers of the ceremony had to give a standing ovation.
Many organizations want to be seen as supporting the issues facing women’s football, but fail to address or redress systemic inequalities. The Ballon d’Or has made some small improvements, but it still falls short and does little more than the bare minimum to promote women’s football.
Year after year, the same important questions are raised, yet the promise of meaningful progress remains unfulfilled. Gone are the days of superficial gestures. It’s time for the Ballon d’Or to fully honor the brilliant achievements of women’s football.
