Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has called on the Ballon d’Or organisers to allow only coaches to vote to determine the player who wins the award.
Mr. Parez said four journalists from Namibia, Uganda, Finland and Albanian did not vote for Vinicius Jr, hench his lost of the 2024 Ballon d’Or, to Manchester City’s Rodri.
Vini was tipped to win the award having helped Real Madrid to the La Liga and Champions League titles in a remarkable outing in the 2023/24 season. He scored 11 Champions League goals.
“If the journalists from Namibia, Uganda, Albania and Finland had not voted, Vinicius would be the Ballon d’Or [winner]. These countries did not give Vinicius a single vote. Not one! The Finn, at least, has resigned. And he has said that he will not be part of the jury again,” Perez was quoted by Goal.com
“Look, I appreciate it. The Ballon d’Or must be organised independently and the votes for this award must be in the hands of people of recognised prestige, the coaches, so that everyone understands that their reputation is also at stake with their vote,” he continued.
