Have you ever had a hundred percent probability about a certain event, and the outcome ends up breaking, shattering expectations.
FIFA The Best Awards specialize in these, ranging from nominations and awarding these prizes, controversy is never far from the World football governing body, as we have seen original winners deprived their trophy based on criteria that we don’t even understand.
Though, FIFA The best Awards originally revived itself in 2014 after being merged with the Balon d’or since 2008, consecutive mixed decisions and terrible allocation of awards have forced people to question its credibility.
Unforgivable Mistakes:
1. Goalkeepers Mix up:
What did Manuel Neuer not win in 2020? Ranging from all available local trophies in Germany topflight to the Champions League trophy, Manuel Neuer was basically a big football cheat between the sticks as the Bavarians ran riot in Europe. Combining stellar performances with his amazing trophy haul, we all thought Manuel Neuer was going to catwalk his way through the Best keepers award and the world XI.
Well, FIFA did award Neuer the Best Goalkeeper award as expected, but then one of the most controversial decision in the history of the awards was made as the German international was ommited from FIFA The Best World XI, as Allison Becker who only won the Premier League trophy and Super Cup was preferred, leaving question marks on the credibility of FIFA to judge players performances.
Why would the best not make The Best World XI ?
2. No specific criteria in picking the best players.
FIFA have been really terrible in awarding trophies to players, and they would never tell us why? In World Cup tournaments player over the years, they will tell us players who win or play exceptionally at the event do have a higher chance of winning the best players award. Then rewind back to 2010, where although FIFA The best awards was still with the ballon d’or, another of the most controversial decision in football history was made.
Despite Wesley Sneijder being the best player in the world, winning the Champions League, and the domestic treble with Inter, and being the joint top scorer at the World Cup with three others as a midfielder, and leading his team to the final, he wasn’t even in the top three of the best player’s Award.
Fast Forward to 2018 when Modric, (even though he had a stellar season), did not win the domestic treble, but won the Champions League and reached the finals of the world cup, was named the best player of the world, and wasn’t even as good as Sneijder.
FIFA has some explanations to state here.
3. Hansi Flick’s Snub:
Let’s travel back in time to the 2018/2019 season when Manchester City won the domestic treble including the league with 98 points. During the FIFA the best Awards, Jurgen klopp was given the prestigious award because of the highly coveted UEFA Champions League ( no complaints, this slot was quite balanced).
Time travel again back into the present, during the 2019/2020 early season period of Bayern München under Niko kovac, the Bavarians were in shambles, losing consecutively, only for a messiah to come and save them, did it excellently well, winning every trophy he participated in with Bayern Munich, including the Champions League and all their domestic titles (5) than his overall matches lost(3).
Everybody thought it would be a flawless victory for the German in FIFA The Best Mens coach award only for FIFA to perform its magic again, going on to say “The National team coaches voted in Klopp’s favour”, A man who won only the Premier League.
How ironic.
4. Credibility of awards.
As humans, no matter how credible events go on to be, not all parties will be contented.
But with FIFA, almost everybody isnt.
The continuous politics being played in this award as been unfair, ranging from full concentration on only the LaLiga in the disburse of award.
Imagine if Eden Hazard had played for Barca or Real Madrid the way he did for Chelsea in the 2014/2015 season, or Mohamed Salah in 2018, maybe either might have broken the Ronaldo and Messi’s dominance since.
5. Neymar’s omission from the world XI.
We quite agree with the FIFA’s XI, except the goalkeeper’s balderdash, and maybe some omission, but slotting kimmich into the right back position by FIFA to make room for Neymar wouldn’t have been a bad idea in any sense. This player was fantastic in as he guided PSG to her first Champions League final. Neymar should have even made the FIFA best player nominations.
Thiago Silva in for Virgil van dijk could not have been bad too. It is a shame that the Champions League losing finalist and Ligue un champions have no player in the FIFA World XI.
But Anyways its FIFA….
Al Fuad Sobayo
