UEFA has sought to clarify the controversy around Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. missing out on the Ballon d’Or, warning against attributing false comments to President Aleksander Ceferin or other officials.
Vinicius Jr. was seen as the frontrunner for the men’s best player award from France Football ahead of Monday’s ceremony. However, just hours before the gala in Paris, it became known that the Brazilian would lose the accolade to Spain and Manchester City’s Rodri.
Madrid has faced heavy criticism for canceling its plans to send a delegation to Paris after learning of Vinicius’ exclusion. Consequently, no representatives were there to accept awards for team of the year, manager of the year, and a top scorer prize shared by Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Los Blancos’ Kylian Mbappe.
An anonymous senior UEFA executive mentioned that Madrid felt the award lost credibility since UEFA’s collaboration with France Football. UEFA, in a statement, denied making any comments on the Ballon d’Or outcome, deeming the information baseless.
UEFA also warned of potential legal action against those spreading false statements. Madrid will resume their Champions League campaign against AC Milan on Tuesday.
