What can women athletes do to get the deserved recognition? While issues in equal opportunities and pay still exist, the lack of even merited credit, that too with one of the world’s most prestigious awards, the Ballon d’Or Feminin, has baffled Lynn Williams. USWNT star Naomi Girma was missed in this year’s list of 30 nominees, despite being tagged as the ‘best defender,’ resulting in Williams slamming the awards.

Speaking in the Women’s Game podcast, former midfielder Sam Mewis and Williams felt surreal about the exclusion. “They made an error, like I think that they made a printing error they need to go back,” reacted the Gotham FC striker suggesting it was impossible to exclude a player with some great achievements during the period. Earlier, giving her take, Mewis said, “If people were going to talk about the first player to be on the list it would have been Naomi Girma.” But the biggest surprising factor for both was how the defender was snubbed from the list of 30. 

The USWNT #4 was already an unsung hero last season, helping both her club and country block attacks from the best teams. Her recent Olympics stint was a great example in itself where the USA defense led by Girma conceded just 2 goals in the whole tournament. In addition, she also played a similar role in its W Gold Cup win and helped the San Diego Wave win the Supporters Shield in 2023.

Lynn Williams also felt that Girma, due to her humility, would not be disappointed about the snub. Yet, a right honor would have given the 24-year-old other benefits like revenue, sponsorships, and reach. Meanwhile, the Triple Espresso Rodman, Mallory Swanson, and Sophia Smith, along with Lindsey Horan and goalie Alyssa Naeher, also made the list. However, French Football missed the main one as even manager Emma Hayes testified saying that she’s “the best defender I’ve ever seen.” Nevertheless, Girma’s snub isn’t the only thing Ballon d’Or is under scrutiny for.

French Football called out for multiple slips apart from Naomi Girma’s snub

Naomi Girma wasn’t the only one to face discredit from the presenters of the Ballon d’Or Feminin. England and Barcelona superstar Keira Walsh also did not make it to the list of nominees despite winning the Champions League and helping the Three Lions reach the final last year. Ballon d’Or Feminin considers performances from August to July. Therefore every part of both Girma’s and Walsh’s performances except for a few matches fall in this bracket, yet they were unfortunate to make the list.

Moreover, the scheduling of the awards is also an issue for the women contenders. Scheduled for October 28, most players will be occupied with their national teams as with the international break scheduled during the period. USWNT will take on Iceland a night earlier, making it difficult for the 5 players to choose. Hence, the frustration of USA’s soccer enthusiasts is evident, leaving the organizers a lot to ponder. Nonetheless, it is difficult to expect changes in this edition, but whether French Football takes note and avoids them next time will be interesting to see.