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The 70-year history of the Ballon d’Or reached a milestone as the ceremony was held in London for the very first time at the iconic London Palladium. While English star Harry Kane celebrated a homecoming triumph, the event faced widespread disorder, website blunders, and logistical hurdles.
Traffic Delays and a Rowdy Audience
According to BBC Sport, the decision to host the gala near Oxford Street on the same day the famous shopping destination became traffic-free caused severe travel disruptions. Combined with massive crowds gathered at the venue entrance, numerous guests suffered delays, forcing organisers to push back the start time by 45 minutes.
The ceremony eventually ran for nearly two and a half hours in front of a boisterous crowd. Hosts Kate Scott and Thierry Henry had to pause proceedings multiple times as attendees shouted player names, while commercial breaks saw several instances of boos from the audience.
Following their victories in the primary categories, Kane and Alexia Putellas held separate press conferences. While journalists questioned Putellas, only male reporters were chosen to ask questions to Kane, with multiple female journalists seemingly ignored. The Ballon d’Or team subsequently issued an apology.
Clashes With Police and Security
Hundreds of fans assembled outside the London Palladium hoping to catch a glimpse of football stars on the red carpet. Although organisers set up a security perimeter featuring metal fencing and barricades, BBC Sport observed individuals scaling, breaking, and tearing down these barriers, with security personnel evicting several trespassers.
Social media footage captured tense moments and clashes between fans, security guards, and police officers. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told BBC Sport that authorities stepped in following concerns regarding crowd behavior and potential breaches of the peace.
A Section 35 dispersal order took effect at 19:49 GMT and remained active until 04:00 on Tuesday, October 27. Police officers cleared the crowd after individuals started hurling scaffolding clips and bricks toward law enforcement, though no officers sustained injuries. Later in the night, police managed a small group of people who scaled a neighboring building. Authorities confirmed two arrests: one for breaking the dispersal order and another for affray and violent disorder.
Website Blunders and Social Media Mix-Ups
Confusion erupted hours before the event began when the official Ballon d’Or website posted an article naming Kane as the winner of the men’s prize. Further investigation showed similar articles had gone live for other leading contenders in both the men’s and women’s categories, such as Real Madrid player Kylian Mbappe and London City Lionesses representative Putellas.
A Ballon d’Or spokesperson told BBC Sport that the articles had been inadvertently published online. The spokesperson explained that drafts had been prepared for every nominee and should not be viewed as predictions of the actual outcomes or final rankings.
In addition to the website error, the official Ballon d’Or social media channels confused the names of two female nominees by congratulating “Alexia Bonmati” on a win, though that post was quickly deleted.
