Ballon d'Or Ceremony in London Marked by Delays, Disruptions

The Ballon d'Or ceremony, held in London for the first time in its 70-year history at the London Palladium, experienced significant disruptions and a chaotic atmosphere.

Traffic and Delayed Start

The event's move to London coincided with traffic-free restrictions near Oxford Street, contributing to severe congestion. This, along with large crowds at the venue's entrance, caused a 45-minute delay to the ceremony's start time. The proceedings, which lasted nearly two and a half hours, were interrupted multiple times as hosts had to pause for audience members shouting out player names. Booing was also heard during commercial breaks.

Following the awards for Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas, separate press conferences were held. Reports indicated that only male journalists were selected to ask questions of Kane, while female journalists' attempts were seemingly ignored. The Ballon d'Or team has since issued an apology for this incident.

Security Concerns and Fan Clashes

Hundreds of fans gathered outside the London Palladium, attempting to catch a glimpse of the attending stars. A security perimeter was established, but reports and social media footage suggested that barriers were breached, broken, and torn down. Security personnel were seen removing individuals who had bypassed the fences. The atmosphere outside the venue was described as tense, with some footage appearing to show altercations between fans, security, and police.

Website Glitch and Premature Announcements

Confusion began hours before the ceremony when the official Ballon d'Or website inadvertently published articles naming potential winners. These articles, which included mentions of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Alexia Putellas, were quickly discovered. A spokesperson for the Ballon d'Or stated that the articles had been prepared for all nominees and were not an indication of the final results, attributing their premature online appearance to a mistake. The spokesperson said they were "inadvertently published online."