Barcelona favourites to win at Dubai Globe Soccer Awards

Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlo Ancelotti and Michel Platini during the 2014 awards. - Supplied photo

Three days until the opening of the tenth Dubai International Sports Conference (organised by Dubai Sports Council) in the UAE, and interest is growing in the jury members votes in the race to the Globe Soccer Awards - presented by Audi (on the evening of December 27) at the traditional gala that ends the footballing year.
The gala will be shown live across the Gulf, thanks to Dubai Sports Channel, and distributed to all football passionate continents.
FC Barcelona will arrive in Dubai as World champions, after winning their second trophy of the season (first in August - the European Super Cup), repeating 2011 when they won the Award after winning the Fifa Club World Cup. Then Barcelona brought the Champions League trophy to the foot of the 828 metre Burj Khalifa, where it was displayed alongside the World Cup won by Spain in South Africa and the Europa League trophy won by Gil's Atletico Madrid.
By winning in Japan Bartomeu's team became the first to win the trophy twice since the new official formula was introduced by Fifa. This enhances Barcelona's image as the leading football power at the start of the 21st century, being the only team to have won the European Champions League 4 times.
The jury's votes will decide the team of the year and it is hard to see that getting away from the team which has dominated football over the last 15 years, while not forgetting the importance of Juventus, Bayern Munich and PSG, their closest rivals in the shortlist of 5. The ECA, the European Club Association, has put forward Dinipro as the fifth candidate, which has moral value and, is in itself, an acknowledgment for having reached the Europa League final although playing 500 kilometres from home (due to circumstances beyond their control).
In the race to the Player's Award a lot of weight will be given to Messi's first goal in the final against River Plate, and to the 5 goals scored by Suarez in the two games against the Asian and South American champions. Perhaps no one will manage to beat this exploit by the Uruguayan in the list of scorers in the Club World Cup final.
The event in Dubai will also be the opportunity for a cultural exchange on the problems of football on the eve of the New Year, while waiting on a solution to the crisis at FIFA, which is expected February 26th with the new elections for the presidency. Also the 2016 European Championships in France will be the focus of attention with the presentation of the technical and regulatory changes being studied by UEFA. The innovative formula for the tenth edition of Dubai Sports Council's Dubai International Sports Conference sees the undertaking of 4 workshops on key issues.
An exciting addition to this year's awards, under the slogan Food for Champions, two-Michelin star chef, Carlo Cracco will cook in the company of Fabio Capello for all the players attending the Awards in Dubai. With 12 Italian companies coming together to support him, Cracco will present high quality products and stake the claim for the Mediterranean diet as the 'secret of success' for feeding and fuelling footballers.
Globe Soccer's highly popular Best Fan Award for 2015, presented by Kooora - the Arab world's largest and well-regarded football site, has now closed with judging underway.
Since being added to the Dubai Globe Soccer awards in 2012, the Best Fan Award has encouraged fans from across the world to be involved with aspects of the game and be recognised for their contribution. Past awards were received by Alarico Rossi's for his motivating Football Slogan, and Carlo Polfranceschi for his comments and insight in to what would create a preferred Stadium experience.
sports@khaleejtimes.com