World soccer governing body FIFA will allow the public to vote in a rebranded version of its Player of the Year award. The honor was jointly organized with France Football and was known as the Ballon d’Or.
The annual ceremony in Zurich will now be renamed as the Best FIFA Football Awards following a split with the French magazine.
Under the new system, half the votes will belong to the players and coaches of the world’s 211 national teams, the other half will come from the public.
Fans will take part via online ballot and selected media representatives. The act, to some extent, is expected to curb tactical voting by players and coaches.
Last year, Lionel Messi beat old foe Cristiano Ronaldo for the Best Player award.