COVID-19: 2020 Ballon d’Or Cancelled

France Football on Monday announced that the Ballon d’Or will not be awarded this year due to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This would mark the first time the award for the world’s best men’s footballer won’t be given since Englishman Stanley Matthews won the inaugural edition in 1956.

“There will be no edition in 2020, because it turns out, after thoughtful consideration, that all the conditions are not met,” said Pascal Ferre, the editor of the magazine.

According to Nigeria News, France Football said it would be unfair to vote on the world’s best player when some leagues, including the French Ligue 1, cancelled their seasons early.

The Magazine also suggested that it would not be right to judge players based on games played without spectators present.

“We believe that such a singular year cannot… be treated as an ordinary year,” he added.

“Two months (January and February), out of the eleven generally required to form an opinion and decide who should lift the trophies, represent far too little to gauge and judge, without forgetting that the other games were played –- or will be played –- in unusual conditions (behind closed doors, with five replacements, Champions League’s Final 8 played in a single game).”

France Football added that this year it would instead organise a vote for the all-time greatest men’s XI.