ZURICH: Germany dominated the FIFA Player of the Year shortlist, with six nominees among the 23 candidates announced on Tuesday, while the 10-man coaching shortlist was full of anomalies and controversy.

Juergen Klinsmann was included among the coaches after leading United States to the last 16 of the World Cup but Jorge Luis Pinto and Jose Pekerman, who took Costa Rica and Colombia respectively to the quarter-finals, were overlooked.

Jorge Sampaoli, whose hugely entertaining Chile side knocked out defending champions Spain on their way to the last sixteen, and Vahid Halilhodzic, who took an inspirational Algeria to the knockout stages, were also ignored.

On the other hand, there was room for Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiola, even though his team’s most important match of the year, a Champions League semi-final at home to Real Madrid, ended in a 4-0 defeat.

Almost inevitably, Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho also sneaked in despite failing to land a trophy on his return to Stamford Bridge.

Germany’s World Cup winning coach Joachim Loew and Real’s Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, who guided the side to the ‘decima’ Champions League title in May, lead the 10-man coaches’ list.

The players’ list showed similar anomalies and appeared to be based more on European club football than FIFA’s flagship tournament.

Mario Goetze, who scored the winning goal against Argentina in the World Cup final, was selected along with Germany team-mates Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Mueller, Manuel Neuer, and Bastian Schweinsteiger and beaten finalists Argentina had three, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Javier Mascherano.

Messi won the first three years the FIFA and France Football merged their international player of the year awards.

Last year’s winner Cristiano Ronaldo was duly named along with his Real Madrid team-mates Gareth Bale (Wales) and James Rodriguez (Colombia).

Manchester City and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure was the only African player short-listed, Neymar was Brazil’s sole representative, and there were none at all from CONCACAF region or Asia.

Notable absentees included United States goalkeeper Tim Howard and Costa Rica stopper Keylor Navas, both outstanding in Brazil, and Costa Rica defender Giancarlo Gonzalez, who many critics saw as one of the tournament’s most influential players.

Uruguay forward Luis Suarez was left out following his biting ban.

Suarez was the top scorer in the English Premier League last season with 31 goals in 33 appearances for Liverpool. But his reputation took a hit when he was banned for four months for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini in the World Cup group phase.

Spain’s La Liga dominated the FIFA list with 10 players with the German Bundesliga accounting for six of the players while five ply their trade in England — although three of those were playing in Spain until May.

The only two players on the list not playing in one of three major leagues are Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, at France’s Paris St Germain, and Frenchman Paul Pogba, who plays for Juventus in Italy.

The list is striking for the absence of any English player or coach. It is the second year in a row that no English player has made the list.

FIFA, who organise the award jointly with France Football, said the final three candidates for both awards, officially known as the Ballon d’Or, would be announced on Dec 1 with the award ceremony in Zurich on Jan 12.

“The list of 23 male candidates has been drawn up by football experts from the FIFA Football Committee and by a group of experts from France Football,” FIFA said.

“The list of ten coaches has been drawn up by the committee for Women’s Football and FIFA Women’s World Cup and by the FIFA Football Committee, as well as by a group of experts from France Football.”

National team coaches and captains, as well as a media panel selected by France Football magazine, vote for the winners. There will also be awards for best goal of the year, a fair play award and the naming of the World XI of the year.

Last year, Ronaldo ended Messi’s four-year hold on the award while German Juup Heynckes took the coach award after leading Bayern Munich to a treble of Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup.

FIFA Ballon d’Or shortlist: Mario Goetze (Germany) Toni Kroos (Germany) Philipp Lahm (Germany) Thomas Mueller (Germany) Manuel Neuer (Germany) Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) Angel Di Maria (Argentina) Javier Mascherano (Argentina) Lionel Messi (Argentina) Andres Iniesta (Spain) Sergio Ramos (Spain) Diego Costa (Spain) Karim Benzema (France) Paul Pogba (France) Gareth Bale (Wales) Eden Hazard (Belgium) Thibaut Courtois (Belgium) Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) Neymar (Brazil) Arjen Robben (Netherlands) James Rodriguez (Colombia) Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast)

Coach of the Year shortlist: Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid) Antonio Conte (Italy/Juventus FC) Pep Guardiola (Bayern Munich) Juergen Klinsmann (United States) Joachim Loew (Germany) Jose Mourinho (Chelsea) Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City) Alejandro Sabella (Argentina) Diego Simeone (Argentina) Louis van Gaal (Netherlands).

Published in Dawn, October 29th , 2014