Football: Soccer-UEFA to co-organise Ballon d’Or from 2024

(Reuters) – UEFA has partnered with Groupe Amaury to co-organise the prestigious Ballon d’Or awards from 2024, Europe’s soccer governing body said on Friday.

Groupe Amaury, the owner of media companies France Football and L’Equipe, will remain the owner of the Ballon d’Or brand and will continue to oversee the voting system so it remains independent.

UEFA said it will be organising the annual gala and marketing its global commercial rights while adding two new awards for the best men’s and women’s coach of the year.

The partnership means UEFA’s awards for the best player and best coach will cease to exist. But UEFA will continue to present the President’s Award as well as prizes for the best player in each of their competitions.

“For almost 70 years, the Ballon d’Or has stood as the most prestigious individual accolade in the world of football and is a testament to the extraordinary skill, dedication, and impact of the game’s legends and their enduring mark on the sport’s history,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said.

“UEFA club and national team competitions… are regarded as the highest global stages for elite players, often playing a critical role in a players’ candidacy for major honours and their place in the football pantheon.

“UEFA and Ballon d’Or are synonyms of sporting excellence, so our partnership will be a natural blend of prominence and a synergy that promises to be nothing short of exceptional.”

FIFA partnered with the Ballon d’Or between 2010 and 2015 before world soccer’s governing body created the “The Best” awards which have been presented every year since 2016.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi won a record eighth Ballon d’Or for the best player in the world on Monday while Spain’s World Cup winner and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati took the women’s award.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)