Ballon d’Or ceremony in London marred by delays, disorder and online blunders

Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or win in London was overshadowed by a delayed ceremony, crowd disorder and online posts that appeared to announce winners before the results were revealed. The organisers have apologised for the posts, while the event’s team also apologised after female journalists were seemingly overlooked when questions were taken at Kane’s press conference.

The ceremony on Monday was the first time the 70-year-old award had been held in London. It began 45 minutes late after traffic problems and crowds at the entrance delayed guests, and lasted nearly two and a half hours. Hosts Kate Scott and Thierry Henry paused proceedings several times as audience members shouted players’ names; there was also booing during commercial breaks.

Hundreds gathered outside the London Palladium, where security fencing and barricades had been put up. BBC Sport reporters witnessed people climbing over and pulling down barriers, with some removed by security. Footage on social media appeared to show clashes involving fans, security and police. The BBC said it had asked the Metropolitan Police for comment.

The confusion began earlier, when the official Ballon d’Or website published an article naming Kane as the men’s winner. Similar articles appeared for other contenders, including Kylian Mbappé and Alexia Putellas. A spokesperson told BBC Sport the articles had been “inadvertently published online” and had been prepared for all nominees, adding that they should not be taken as an indication of the results or rankings.

The award’s official social media accounts also congratulated “Alexia Bonmati” on a win before the post was deleted. Putellas and Kane were later named winners in the main women’s and men’s categories respectively.

At Kane’s press conference, journalists were able to question Putellas, but only men were selected to ask Kane questions, BBC Sport reported. Several female journalists’ attempts appeared to go unanswered; the Ballon d’Or team later apologised.