Ballon d'Or in London - the most chaotic ever?

The Ballon d'Or ceremony in London was marred by traffic delays, a rowdy audience, security breaches, and premature winner announcements on the official website.

The Ballon d'Or was held in London for the first time in its 70-year history at the London Palladium on Monday, but the event was plagued by organisational issues. Traffic congestion caused by Oxford Street being made traffic-free, combined with large crowds at the venue entrance, delayed the start by 45 minutes. Once underway, the nearly two-and-a-half-hour ceremony was disrupted by a boisterous audience who shouted player names and booed during commercial breaks, forcing hosts Kate Scott and Thierry Henry to pause proceedings multiple times.

Harry Kane and Alexia Putellas were crowned winners in the men's and women's categories respectively. However, the post-ceremony press conference drew criticism when only male journalists were selected to ask Kane questions, with female journalists' attempts seemingly ignored. The Ballon d'Or team subsequently apologised for this.

Security issues also marred the event, with hundreds of fans gathering outside the Palladium attempting to breach the metal fencing and barricades. Several people were evicted by security after scaling and breaking through barriers, with social media footage appearing to show clashes between fans and security. The chaos began hours earlier when the official Ballon d'Or website prematurely published articles declaring Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Alexia Putellas as winners.