NKARENG MATSHE | 'Global apartheid' robbed Vinicius Jnr of Ballon d'Or

The Ballon d’Or attracting so much controversy this week is surprising because it seemed a foregone, unanimous conclusion that Vinicius Jnr would win it — until the very few hours before Monday’s ceremony.

Even last week, after the Brazilian helped Real Madrid overcome Borussia Dortmund with a splendid hat-trick, his coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke about Vinicius as a definite first-time Ballon d’Or winner, giving an impression he would rock up in Paris to pick up the trophy.

All that changed when Real boycotted the ceremony after establishing that Manchester City’s Rodri had somehow beaten Vinicius to the award — triggering a storm, which highlights the need to relook at the way this prize is handled.

Current criteria are clear: the award is voted for by 100 journalists — one vote from each of the top 100 countries in the world. They select their preferred 10 from a list of 30 finalists, and the player with the most votes gets the award.

But after much rage, perhaps this is the time to look at another formula. For starters, most of the countries ranked in the Fifa top 100 are mainly European, with Africa contributing only 19 of the nations. It is thus safe to conclude that, even after an outstanding year which finally caught the jurors, Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns skipper Ronwen Williams stood no chance of winning the Yashin trophy awarded to the best goalkeeper.

While he finished ninth out of 10 nominees, I feel he could have managed a top-five place ahead of Italy’s Gianlucca Donnarumma or Frenchman Mike Maignan of AC Milan. The two achieved little with their national teams compared to Williams, who led SA to third place at the Africa Cup of Nations early this year.

Williams being nominated while playing in our Betway Premiership is worth celebrating, of course, but Vinicius not winning the main award is ridiculous. Not surprisingly, all manner of conspiracy has been thrown about as to the real reason he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or.

Were the votes changed at the last minute? Could Vinicius have been victimised, as he suspects, because of his outspokenness about racist abuse he suffers in La Liga?

Whatever it is, there was something fishy about Rodri emerging ahead of Vinicius, and the stench will not be diluted by stat-padders who have provided counter-arguments to justify what some of us see as daylight robbery.

I’m no Real Madrid fan, and yes, Vinicius can irritate even the calmest of fans with his on-field histrionics. But having led Real to the Champions League and La Liga glory last season, he shone the brightest. Rodri’s defenders contend he won more trophies, as he was instrumental in Spain claiming the Euro 2024, but they forget he was not even deemed the best player in the English Premiership, with his teammate Phil Foden winning Footballer of the Year. In fact, in the past four years when Man City won the title, Rodri was not once Player of the Year.

Like Vinicius, Rodri is also a victim of an obviously compromised voting system, because his award will forever be seen as tainted. He was booed as he ambled into the venue on crutches. He will be remembered as the most undeserving of Ballon d’Or winners.

Some two decades ago, the president Thabo Mbeki spoke of the phenomenon of “global apartheid” — where countries with resources pull together to deny access to the less fortunate. Vinicius undoubtedly was a victim of this “global apartheid” as Ballon d'Or deciders connived against him.

His forthrightness rubs people — including some of the voting panel — up the wrong way. Him not winning cannot be about what he did or didn’t do on the field. It probably has all to do with his character and, most sadly, his skin colour.

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