Following his comments published by Africafoot, on Saturday, October 31, which attracted worldwide attention, Mustapha Badri has sought to set the record straight. Speaking to Le360 Sport, Morocco’s representative on the Ballon d’Or jury clarified a key detail about the alleged attempts to influence his vote: they occurred during the 2025 edition, not in 2026, when England striker Harry Kane won the award.
Asked who had tried to sway him, Badri said the approach came from someone associated with a club, although he declined to identify either the individual or the player they were seeking to promote.
The Moroccan journalist said he immediately rebuffed the approach. He added that lobbying is hardly unusual when major individual awards are at stake. According to Badri, various parties seek to rally support among voting journalists, a practice he considers commonplace in football award ballots.
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Badri also criticized the failure of Arab and African media to rally behind their own players, contrasting their approach with that of European journalists, whom he considers better organized in championing their players’ candidacies.
For Badri, this disparity puts Arab and African footballers at a disadvantage in the race for individual honors, where performances on the pitch are not always enough to secure the recognition a player’s season deserves.
The managing director of Al Mountakhab also addressed his decision to vote for Achraf Hakimi. He rejected suggestions that his choice was driven solely by patriotic loyalty to Morocco. In his view, the Atlas Lions captain has more than enough sporting credentials to be a genuine Ballon d’Or contender.
Achraf Hakimi. Le360
Badri also pointed to the recognition the Paris Saint-Germain right-back has earned from several leading figures in world football, who regard Hakimi as one of the finest players in his position.
