Ballon d'Or Ceremony to Honor World's Best Soccer Players on Oct. 28 in Paris

Soccer Football - Europa League - Round of 16 draw - Nyon, Switzerland - February 28, 2020 General view of the UEFA logo at UEFA Headquarters before the draw REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Soccer Football - Europa League - Round of 16 draw - Nyon, Switzerland - February 28, 2020 General view of the UEFA logo at UEFA Headquarters before the draw REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
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Ballon d'Or Ceremony to Honor World's Best Soccer Players on Oct. 28 in Paris

Soccer Football - Europa League - Round of 16 draw - Nyon, Switzerland - February 28, 2020 General view of the UEFA logo at UEFA Headquarters before the draw REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Soccer Football - Europa League - Round of 16 draw - Nyon, Switzerland - February 28, 2020 General view of the UEFA logo at UEFA Headquarters before the draw REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

The most prestigious individual awards ceremony in world soccer, the Ballon d’Or, will be held in Paris on Oct. 28, the event’s new organizer UEFA said Thursday.
Nominations will be announced Sept. 4, letting voters factor in the European Championship and Copa America in men’s soccer and Paris Olympics tournament in the women’s game.
Real Madrid players Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham and Toni Kroos are likely to poll strongly after leading the team to the Champions League and La Liga titles. Kroos will end his career after playing at Euro 2024 for Germany and never finished in the top three of a Ballon d'Or vote.
Barcelona retained its Women's Champions League title with past Ballon d'Or winners Aitana Bonmatí and Alèxia Putellas scoring in the final against Lyon.
Voters are expected to consider players’ individual performance, then their team’s performance and also fair play, The Associated Press reported.
Monthly magazine France Football first presented the Ballon d’Or for men in 1956 and added a women's prize in 2018. UEFA is now the magazine’s partner to help market the event and organize the ceremony in a theater in central Paris.
Lionel Messi and Bonmatí won the best player awards last year on the back of their recent World Cup wins.
New awards for the 2023-24 season include best men's and women's coach.



Government: Soccer-related Arrests Have Risen in England

Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Group D - General view of Wembley Stadium ahead of the England v Croatia match - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - June 12, 2021 REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo
Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Group D - General view of Wembley Stadium ahead of the England v Croatia match - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - June 12, 2021 REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo
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Government: Soccer-related Arrests Have Risen in England

Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Group D - General view of Wembley Stadium ahead of the England v Croatia match - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - June 12, 2021 REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo
Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Group D - General view of Wembley Stadium ahead of the England v Croatia match - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - June 12, 2021 REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo

Soccer-related arrests are the on rise in England and Wales, the UK government said on Thursday. The highest number of cases were recorded at West Ham matches for the third year in a row, The Associated Press reported.
There were 2,584 football-related arrests in the 2023-24 season — a 14% increase on the previous year, figures released by the Home Office showed.
The government said the rise was driven by arrests relating to the possession of class A drugs and this year's European Championship in Germany.
The rate of arrests over the season was 5.5 per 100,000 fans attending matches in the top six levels of men’s English soccer, the Welsh league and the top two levels of women's soccer. Statistics also covered matches involving the England and Wales national teams, the Champions League final staged at Wembley Stadium, and age group matches.
“It is important that these figures are put into context. Last season around 47 million people attended men’s domestic and international matches, the highest number we have on record, and the vast majority of football fans are law-abiding citizens who want to support their team," said chief constable Mark Roberts, who is the lead for soccer policing in the UK. “However, there are a small number of fans who commit offences, and we will continue to work closely with (prosecutors) and our other partners to ensure that those responsible are held accountable."
According to the figures, there were no arrests at women's matches, despite their growing popularity and increased attendances.
Figures showed 281 arrests related to Euro 2024.
The club with the highest number of arrests was West Ham, with 103. Manchester City and Manchester United were joint second with 88. Arsenal was fourth (85) and Chelsea sixth (67).
West Ham also had the highest number of banning orders (93), with Man United second (89). Second-tier Millwall was third with 82 banning orders.
A banning order can last from three to 10 years and can be issued by courts for reasons such as a conviction for a soccer-related offense.
There were 825 new banning orders, the highest number since 2010-11.
The most common type of arrest was for public disorder, which made up 43% of cases, with violent disorder making up 19%. Possession of class A drugs accounted for 13%.
The throwing of missiles was the most commonly reported incident, at 416 matches, with pyrotechnics reported at 394 matches.
There were reports of hate crime incidents in 341 matches, which related to issues including race (226) and sexual orientation (113).
There were 423 incidents of online hate crime.