FOOTBALL FRANCE ANNOUNCESRULE CHANGES FOR BALLOND'OR

The revamped award will have a 30-man
shortlist, with no announcement of three
finalists before the presentation and votes
cast solely by journalists

Football France has announced new rules for

the Ballon d'Or after the publication resumed
sole charge of the coveted football award.
On Friday, FIFA ended its six-year association
with Football France over the FIFA Ballon
d'Or, an award that celebrated the best
footballer in the world annually and combined
the original honour – established in 1956 –
and the World Player of the Year given by
global football's governing body from 1991 to
2009.
FIFA is yet to announce its next move, which
could amount to a reprisal of its own award,
while the Ballon d'Or will once again be voted
for exclusively by a select group of
international journalists.
This means the element of international team
coaches and captains contributing to the
vote, which was introduced for the merger
with FIFA's prize, will be shelved.

A shortlist of 30 players will now be
presented for voting, an increase on 23 from
previous editions, and there will no longer be
an announcement of three finalists ahead of
the award being presented.
The winner and complete rankings of the
shortlist will be revealed before the end of
the calendar year. The FIFA Ballon d'Or held
its awards gala in January of the following
year.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have
dominated the FIFA Ballon d'Or and its
precursor over the past eight years, with five
and three victories respectively.
Brazilian midfielder Kaka was the last man
outside of the superstar forwards to claim
the prize in 2007 when he lifted the Ballon
d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year.