A number of coveted awards in the soccer world will be presented as part of the televised special for Fifa’s Ballon d’Or in the New Year, the sport’s world governing body has announced.
The FifPro World XI dream team of the year, the Puskás Award for most ‘beautiful goal’ of the year, the Presidential Award and the Fair Play Award will all be announced at the event broadcast from the Kongresshaus complex in Zurich, Switzerland on 13 January 2014.
In a joint statement, Fifa and France Football, which is hosting the awards, said the final decisions on who will take the prestigious titles will be made “by the captains and head coaches of the women’s national teams as well as by international media representatives selected by Fifa”.
As of press time, the organisers were planning to release the shortlists for the Ballon d’Or, the award for the year’s top male player, as well as the prize for men’s World Coach of the Year.
Before then, the names of the top three women and top three men contenders “as well as the three coaches for women’s football and three coaches for men’s football, who have received the most votes” will be announced.
That announcement comes at the beginning of December, and will also reveal the top three candidates for the Puskás Award and nominees for the FifPro World XI’s forwards, goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders.
