Why did Novak Djokovic present the 2023 Women’s Ballon d’Or?
The 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony took place on Monday October 30, and it wasn’t short of controversy.
There were not only the inevitable question marks and social media feuds over the recipients of the various awards on the night, there was justifiable criticism over the attention, or lack thereof, given to the Ballon d’Or Femenin.
Much like the majority of awards ceremonies, women’s football felt like nothing but an afterthought on Monday evening. This was perhaps summed up best by male tennis player Novak Djokovic handing out the 2023 Women’s Ballon d’Or to Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati.
So, why on earth was Djokovic chosen to give out the award in the first place?
Put simply, there is no logical or official reason why Djokovic was chosen for this particular role. Instead of choosing an icon of the women’s game to dish out the accolade, those organising the event decided the Serb would be a better fit.
That decision has come under huge criticism, once again highlighting the lack of effort put into the women’s award.
Lionel Messi was given his Ballon d’Or by David Beckham, while Gary Lineker distributed the Gerd Muller trophy to Erling Haaland. This makes it all the more baffling why Bonmati wasn’t handed her award by someone of prominence in women’s football.
Just to rub salt in the wounds, Djokovic has previously spoken out against equal pay for men and women in tennis. While he has since performed a U-turn on that particular stance, it underlines just how little thought was put into the organisation of the women’s award.
To make things even worse, once Djokovic read Bonmati’s name as the winner of the Ballon d’Or, he then stood to one side, forgetting to actually hand the World Cup winner the trophy. Well done boys, good process.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony had already come under criticism prior to Monday after a number of female players were unable to attend the event due to their international commitments.
England played Belgium in the Nations League on Tuesday evening, meaning a number of the Lionesses squad, as well as other players from different nations, were not able to attend.
Midfielder Georgia Stanway spoke prior to the ceremony, stating: „It’s unfortunate we couldn’t be there. That’s something we spoke as a player group [about], and we just kind of said it would be nice in the future if it wasn’t on a matchday minus one, so that we could enjoy the experience.
„It is [frustrating], because it’s potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You never know if you’re ever going to get selected for such an accolade like that again, so it would be really nice to enjoy the experience and be there and feel like a star amongst the stars.
„If it was planned a little bit better, then maybe it would be easier for a lot of female footballers to be there.“
Hopefully, next year’s award is organised to showcase achievements in women’s football, rather than treating them as a footnote.