How Pascal Ferré masked the Ballon d’or result
Before the ceremony of the 70th Ballon d’or, Pascal Ferré, former head of the France Football award, told Anaïs Matin on RMC about the little tricks he used to keep the winner’s secret until the announcement scheduled for Monday evening around 22:45 at the London Palladium in London.
Ferré said that on Sunday morning, fewer than five people knew the name of the laureate. All football supporters put forward their predictions while awaiting the announcement. Keeping the result secret until the end of the ceremony represents a major logistical challenge.
A metaphor of the secret hunt
He described the protection of the secret as “a chase between the policeman and the thief” during the Anaïs Matin show on RMC. The winner’s announcement is scheduled for Monday evening around 22:45 at the London Palladium in London. This image highlights the difficulty of keeping the result out of sight.
Fake lists to fool the networks
His little trick was to leave fake rankings around the France Football editorial office, thereby feeding the social networks. “It made me smile when I saw them resurfacing,” he said. This maneuver helped to muddy the waters during the voting period.
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Since 2024, the laureates are no longer warned of their fate before the ceremony and are all accommodated in the same way. Thus, when they arrive at the London Palladium, none can raise their arms before the others. This measure aims to prevent any leak before the official unveiling.
This change was decided after the eras of Messi and Ronaldo, in order to make the secret easier to maintain. Ferré believes that the fact that even the laureates are no longer informed simplifies the task. He stresses that the secret is shared with as few people as possible.
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He added that he has “lots of new friends during the voting period,” recalling that “a well‑kept secret is a secret shared with as few people as possible.” According to him, the new rule makes the secret “a little easier to keep.”