The Ballon d'Or ceremony held at the London Palladium on Monday night was marked by significant delays, crowd disturbances, and organizational errors, raising questions about whether it was the most chaotic edition in the award's 70-year history.
Traffic and delays
The event, the first Ballon d'Or ceremony in London in its 70-year history, was scheduled to start at 20:00 GMT but began 45 minutes late at 20:45 GMT. Organisers cited traffic disruption caused by the closure of nearby Oxford Street to vehicles on the same day, combined with large crowds at the venue entrance, which delayed many guests.
Rowdy audience and booing
Once underway, the ceremony lasted nearly two and a half hours. Hosts Kate Scott and Thierry Henry repeatedly paused proceedings as audience members shouted player names and booed during commercial breaks.
Security clashes and police intervention
Hundreds of fans gathered outside the Palladium, scaling and breaking security barriers. BBC reporters witnessed barriers being ripped down and several people evicted by security. The Metropolitan Police were called to assist after concerns about crowd behaviour and a potential breach of the peace. A Section 35 dispersal order was authorised at 19:49 GMT and remained in force until 04:00 on Tuesday, 27 October. Police reported that the crowd threw scaffolding clips and bricks at officers; no officers were injured. Later, officers dealt with individuals who had climbed a neighbouring building. Two arrests were made: one for breaching the dispersal order and another for affray and violent disorder.
Website blunder and premature announcements
Hours before the ceremony, the official Ballon d'Or website published an article declaring Harry Kane the winner of the men's award. Similar pre-prepared articles for other leading contenders, including Kylian Mbappé and Alexia Putellas, were also briefly visible. A Ballon d'Or spokesperson said the articles had been "inadvertently published online" and were prepared for all nominees, not indicating final results. The official social media accounts also mistakenly congratulated "Alexia Bonmati" on a victory; the post was later deleted.
Gender disparity in press conferences
After Kane and Putellas were confirmed as winners, they held separate press conferences. While journalists were able to question Putellas, only male journalists were selected to ask Kane questions, with attempts by female journalists apparently ignored. The organisers have since apologised for the oversight.
