The candidates for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award and for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football award have been unveiled, and the final decisions will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men’s national teams as well as by international media representatives selected by France Football.
The winners of all of the awards will be revealed at the second FIFA Ballon d’Or gala as part of a televised ceremony at the Zurich Kongresshaus on 9 January 2012. The FIFA/FIFPro World XI and the FIFA Puskás Award for the most beautiful goal of the year, the FIFA Presidential Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award will also be presented during the gala.
The lists of 23 male candidates as well as the list of ten coaches have been drawn up by football experts from the Football Committee, the Technical and Development Committee and by a group of experts from France Football.
On 5 December 2011, FIFA and France Football will hold a media event in Paris during which they will announce the names of the three men and three women, as well as the three men’s coaches and three women’s coaches, who have received the most votes. The three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award will also be announced.
Shortlists for the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala 2011
The following 23 men (in alphabetical order) are in contention for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2011:
Éric Abidal (France), Sergio Agüero (Argentina), Karim Benzema (France), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Dani Alves (Brazil), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Cesc Fàbregas (Spain), Diego Forlán (Uruguay), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Nani (Portugal), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Özil (Germany), Gerard Piqué (Spain), Wayne Rooney (England), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Luis Suárez (Uruguay), David Villa (Spain), Xabi Alonso (Spain), Xavi (Spain).
The following ten coaches (in alphabetical order, first nationality and then team) are in contention for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football 2011:
Vicente Del Bosque (Spain/Spain national team), Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United FC), Rudi Garcia (France/Lille OSC), Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Barcelona), Jürgen Klopp (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), Joachim Löw (Germany/Germany national team), José Mourinho (Portugal/Real Madrid C.F.), Óscar Tabárez (Uruguay/Uruguay national team), André Villas-Boas (Portugal/FC Porto, Chelsea FC), Arsène Wenger (France/Arsenal FC).
Story courtesy of FIFA.com.
For more on the world game go to www.fifa.com

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