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WHAT HAPPENED?
A day after winning Coach of the Year at Ballon d’Or ceremony, U.S. women’s national team boss Emma Hayes said she appreciated the award, but criticized the timing of the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which fell during a women’s FIFA window. Hayes earned the coveted award after guiding the USWNT to Olympic gold and Chelsea to a Women’s Super League title.
Since the women’s Ballon d’Or category was introduced in 2018, the event has often been scheduled during a women’s international break — at times a day before critical qualifiers or long-planned friendlies, which precludes many women nominees from attending the ceremony in-person. Hayes, in fact, did not attend to accept her women’s coach of the year award, as the USWNT are set to play Argentina in a friendly Wednesday in Louisville.
WHAT HAYES SAID
“It would be like running an Oscars wouldn’t it, or a Golden Globe without having any females present – it just wouldn’t happen,” Hayes said, regarding the timing of the event. “I think all too often it’s an afterthought, to be honest with you. I know that there’s nothing I can do to control that. If I’m honest with you, I’m happy to be with my team.”
Hayes said she spoke to the Ballon d’Or organizers about the timing, and was informed there could be changes in the future.
“But I think for those players and coaches, it is the one industry moment they get recognized, and it’s disappointing,” she said. “I did speak to the organizers about it, and they said that that is something that will be changing in the future. Let’s hope that is the case.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
The award ceremony has been critiqued in the past, particularly around the women’s game and how it’s handled – 2018 was the first year the ceremony awarded a female football player an award, yet the the best male footballer has been awarded since 1956.
Out of the entire USWNT Olympic gold medal team, five of those members were named to the 30-player shortlist for the 2024 Women’s Ballon d’Or – with Sophia Smith, Lindsey Horan, Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman all finishing in the top 10.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Hayes and the USWNT will play Argentina on Wednesday, wrapping up the team’s third of three friendlies over the past week.
