Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has addressed the misunderstandings surrounding the voting process for the Ballon d'Or's Yashin Trophy.
The 32-year-old made history as the first goalkeeper based in Africa to receive a nomination for this prestigious award, following his outstanding performances in the Africa Cup of Nations and various other competitions at both the international and club levels
Football fans have been actively voting for Williams, expressing their support for him to win the award.
Nevertheless, it has been revealed that the Yashin Trophy is ultimately determined by a panel of football journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA Men’s Ranking.
Despite this, public votes can still play a role in influencing the decisions of the judging panel regarding the award.
Speaking on SABC, Williams also clarified that the decision will not solely be based on the public’s votes.
RONWEN WILLIAMS CLARIFIES YASHIN TROPHY VOTING PROCESS
“We need to correct the statement that’s been going around,” Williams told SABC as quoted by IDiski Times.
“It’s not solely based on votes only. There is a judging panel and I think they will have the final say but I think maybe the votes can sway their decision as well cause that’s why they opened the platform for the votes.
“So, yeah I’m just happy that the country is behind me now. I’ve seen the growth especially in the voting and you know when we get together as a country, it’s amazing.
“And it’s not about Ronwen Williams. It is about young kids that I’m seeing outside here to inspire them to dream big.
“Yeah, I’m just proud and happy that South Africans are standing behind our own.”
Williams was pitted against top goalies including Diogo Costa (Portugal, Porto), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy, Paris Saint-Germain), Gregor Kobel (Switzerland, Borussia Dortmund), Andriy Lunin (Ukraine, Real Madrid), Mike Maignan (France, Milan) Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia, Valencia), Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Aston Villa), Unai Simón (Spain, Athletic Club) and Yann Sommer (Switzerland, Inter).
