Arsenal player rips into Ballon d’Or organisers amid Novak Djokovic criticism and schedule issue
Arsenal standout and Scottish icon Jen Beattie strongly criticized the arrangement of Monday’s Ballon d’Or event, urging the individuals responsible to improve their efforts.
Aitana Bonmati from Spain secured the women’s award, known as the Ballon d’Or Féminin, marking the first time a female player claimed the title.
This achievement came amidst stiff competition from prominent athletes such as Chelsea’s Australian talent Sam Kerr and Barcelona’s young sensation Salma Paralluelo.
The awards ceremony, where Lionel Messi received the men’s award, faced backlash due to its timing.
Held in Paris during a women’s international break, it coincided with UEFA Nations League matches scheduled for Tuesday. As a result, four nominated England players opted out of attending to concentrate on preparation for their upcoming Nations League match against Belgium.
Mary Earps, who secured the fifth position in the final vote, along with Millie Bright, Rachel Daly, and Georgia Stanway, chose to prioritize their focus on the upcoming game.
While eventual winner Bonmati attended the ceremony, there was additional criticism on social media regarding the delay in presenting her award on stage, contrary to the customary practice.
The Spanish star found herself in an awkward situation as she stood waiting for a few seconds before the trophy was eventually brought on stage.
Jen Beattie, the Scotland and Arsenal player, voiced criticism of the extravagant ceremony on X (formerly known as Twitter), specifically questioning the timing and scheduling of the event.
Beattie wrote: “Beyond disappointing that the Ballon d’Or was held during a women’s international break making it pretty impossible for most of the nominees to even attend. Do better!”
Numerous individuals on social media raised concerns and questioned the choice to have male tennis star Novak Djokovic participate in presenting the award.
Djokovic notably played a significant role in the ceremony by announcing Bonmati as the winner, sparking discussions and criticism online.
Many people found it unusual for the World No.1 male tennis player to be so prominently involved, rather than having someone from the women’s game take part in the ceremony—a sentiment that Beattie appeared to share.
The Arsenal Women Correspondent Tim Stillman’s initial comment was reposted by the Gunners defender, and it read: “Nothing says ‘celebrate the achievement of female athletes’ like inviting a male athlete who advocated against equal pay to talk about himself and the completely different sport he plays,” in reference to Djokovic’s involvement.
Senior figures within the women’s game have previously voiced criticism regarding the Ballon d’Or organizers’ handling of the women’s award.
In a similar vein, Jen Beattie’s Arsenal teammate Beth Mead, who secured second place in the award’s rankings last year, later expressed her discontent with the ceremony, describing the women’s award as feeling more like a perfunctory or token event rather than a genuinely valued recognition.
“I thought the Ballon d’Or was a token Ballon d’Or for women’s football and that’s all it was,” she later said. “The setup wasn’t great. Alexia (Putellas, the winner) went up, they asked her a couple of questions and off she went.
Beyond disappointing that the @ballondor was held during a women’s international break making it pretty impossible for most of the nominees to even attend. Do better!
— Jen Beattie MBE (@jbeattie91) October 31, 2023
“They did three or four awards between the female Ballon d’Or and the men’s Ballon d’Or. In between that they did (Robert) Lewandowski top scorer, goalkeeper of the year, no female goalkeeper of the year, and a community award.
“Then at the end it was (Karim) Benzema who won. His full family was on stage taking pictures with him, all the journalists, and Alexia was sat on the front seat as if she wasn’t even there.
“(The Ballon d’Or) is such a prestigious award. But then it was a tick box to have women there but they weren’t doing it right. The FIFA Best, they did everything aligned. They did it all together so it was so much better.”
Arsenal player rips into Ballon d’Or organisers amid Novak Djokovic criticism and schedule issue