This archive report was first published on 27 September 2019.
FIFA The Best Award Rigging Allegations: Messi's Win Challenged ¶
Published on September 27, 2019, the FIFA The Best award has come under scrutiny following allegations of rigging. Lionel Messi was declared the winner, beating Van Dijk and Ronaldo.
However, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), Sudan's coach Zdravko Logarusic, and Nicaragua's captain Juan Barrera have raised concerns over the authenticity of the ballots. They claim that their votes were not counted due to technical issues.
The EFA stated that they officially sent their vote to FIFA on August 15, four days before the deadline. FIFA responded by stating that the Egyptian vote was not accepted because the signatures on the ballots were in capital letters and did not meet the required format.
On the other hand, Sudan's coach Logarusic and Nicaragua's captain Barrera took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the voting process. Logarusic revealed that he voted for Salah, but FIFA's voting document showed Messi as his first selection. Barrera also insisted that he did not vote for Messi, as claimed by FIFA.
"I did not vote for Messi. I was surprised to be on the list of captains who voted for Messi and there is no explanation how it appeared there," Barrera said.
