Several choices surprised Tuesday in the announcement of the nominees for the UNFP Trophies, which will be awarded on May 13, whether among coaches or hopefuls in particular. The lists for each category are in fact established according to precise criteria.
The nominees for the UNFP Trophies – whose ceremony will take place on May 13 – were revealed Tuesday evening with a few surprises in store. Notably the presence of Eliesse Ben Seghir, who has only played 273 minutes in Ligue 1 with Monaco this season, in the category of best prospect. He is in competition with Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG), Leny Yoro (Lille), Désiré Doué (Rennes) and Rayan Cherki (OL) to succeed Parisian Nuno Mendes.
Among the coaches, the names of Franck Haise – while Lens is having a more complicated season – or Luka Elsner – while Le Havre is only 15th in the championship – were surprising. Especially since Pierre Sage, the great architect of OL’s recovery in the championship, is absent: his late appointment (November) undoubtedly partly explains this choice. Brest coach Eric Roy is the favorite against Lille’s Paulo Fonseca or Parisian Luis Enrique.
It’s the players who vote
These choices raise questions. But they can partly be explained by the methods of designating the nominees. It is the players themselves who designate the contenders for their championship, through a vote. Ligue 1 players choose those nominated for the title of best player and best prospect in Ligue 1, D1 players do the same for their championship, same principle in Ligue 2 as well.
The regulations specify: “Votes are taken in each locker room in the presence of a representative of the UNFP, via computer software which centralizes the votes. Each voter has specific access – which they can only use once – and cannot vote for a member of his club. Footballers from Ligue 1 Uber Eats and Ligue 2 BKT elect the best French player playing abroad Via Unecatef, the coaches are elected by their peers. For the best hopeful category, nominees must be “under the age of 21 as of April 1 of the current year”; for the French player abroad, the nominees must “have at least one selection for the France A team”. The coaches are appointed by their peers via Unecatef (National Union of French Football Coaches and Technical Executives).
“It is therefore not a question of the choice of the UNFP or of a kind of pre-list”
There are therefore several designation methods depending on the categories. The UNFP also specifies that no pre-list is provided to players who vote. “It is therefore not a question of the choice of the UNFP or of a kind of pre-list… but of the emanation of the unique vote of each college which therefore makes it possible to highlight the nominees and elect the winners” , insists the organization in its regulations. Note that additional awards such as trophies of honor come from the vote of a jury and that it is the public who votes directly for the goal of the season.
