Later in 2023 and early this year, the widely recognized website Futsalplanet.com announced a list of candidates for its annual futsal awards, a prize quite popular in the five-a-side scene. After an obvious hiatus following the COVID-19 pandemic years, it was coming back. Sadly, several more months have passed since the last announcement, and winners are yet to be announced.
Running since the dawn of the day, Futsal Awards are the only worldwide recognizable futsal award capable of stirring controversy about the winners. Even though, as stated in the 2022 long presentation post, “no ego is bigger than the game,” many people are still eagerly awaiting it, even just to shout “Ballon d’Or” into the void.
“Last but not least: for all the reasons mentioned in the previous point, there will be no voting process in the 2022 and 2023 editions: a few days after the nominees’ release, we will announce the winners (no 2nd-10th place ranking, therefore).”
Something must have happened to delay it until now at least. It’s sad because over the years, it had become a date to circle on the calendar, and its long run was one of the reasons Futsal Awards were widely popular as part of futsal lore itself.
I am a big fan and avid Futsalplanet reader; I hope the Futsal Awards will make a full comeback. Still, this is an award that does more good for futsal than bad, giving the sport a sort of credibility blanket that it lacks, at least in many countries.
