The European Football Association (UEFA) announced in an official statement on Friday its participation in organizing the Ballon d'Or ceremony presented by France Football magazine annually since 1956, starting in 2024.
UEFA said in an official statement: “UEFA and the Amore Group, which owns the media companies France Football and L’Equipe, announce a partnership to participate in organizing the famous Ballon d’Or award starting in 2024.”
He added: “Together, UEFA and the Amore Group aim to enhance the profile and global reach of football and the awards, while promoting a sense of unity and cooperation within the football community.”
As part of the agreement, the Amore Group remains the owner of the Ballon d'Or brand and will continue to oversee the voting system, which will remain unchanged and independent, and UEFA will contribute its football expertise to marketing global commercial rights and organizing the annual awards ceremony.
UEFA confirmed that this partnership will work to strengthen the historical relationship and ties between UEFA and the Amori Group, which date back more than half a century.
Two new awards will also be created, the Best Coach Award for men, and the same in the women’s category.
The two new awards will be added to the eight existing awards, which are the Men's Golden Ball, Women's Golden Ball, the Copa Cup for the best young player under 21 years of age, the Yashin Cup for the best goalkeeper, the Gerd Müller Best Scorer, the Best Men's Football Team, the Best Women's Football Team, and the Best Men's Football Team Award. Socrates to reward players' social or charitable initiatives.
Reports stated that the ceremony, which was always held in Paris, could now be held in other cities, and the UEFA Best Player Award, which had been in place since 2011, might be cancelled, but UEFA has not officially announced this.
It is noteworthy that the veteran Argentine star, Lionel Messi, captain of the American club Inter Miami, won the Golden Ball award for the best player in 2023, for the eighth time in his professional career, after beating his rivals, Norwegian Erling Haaland and Frenchman Kylian Mbappe.
UEFA punishes FC Barcelona for violating financial control rules
On Friday, the European Football Association (UEFA) imposed a fine of 500,000 euros on the Spanish club Barcelona, due to its violation of financial control rules.
UEFA's Club Financial Supervision Authority said in a statement that the Catalan club incorrectly announced its profits "from the sale of intangible assets (excluding player transfers)" during the 2022 fiscal year.
The Spanish champions have finally begun to emerge from the serious economic problems they have faced in recent years, selling a large portion of their future income from television broadcasting rights and other parts of the club (such as Barca Studios, its media arm) to be able to continue buying and registering players in the long term. The short one.
It is noteworthy that “Barca” currently occupies fourth place in the Spanish League standings, with 24 points, 4 points behind rival Real Madrid, the leader, and Girona, the runner-up, while Atletico Madrid comes in third place with 25 points, with one less game to play.