Lausanne: FIFA's The Best awards ceremony, scheduled to be held in Milan on September 21, has been postponed as a result of the coronavirus crisis, world football's governing body confirmed on Friday.
It is unclear if or when the ceremony will be rearranged, with a FIFA spokesperson saying that "the consequences and different alternatives are being considered".
Lionel Messi and Megan Rapinoe won the best male and female prizes last year. The duo also took the honours at the 2019 Ballon d'Or.
Milan and the Lombardy region have been the epicentre of Italy's coronavirus outbreak, one of the worst in Europe in terms of deaths and infections.
Meanwhile, the top football leagues like Premier League, La Liga have been given the option to do away with Video Assistant Referee (VAR) once the competitions resume after being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Apex football body FIFA and the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which set the rules, have issued new guidelines ahead of the restart of the Bundesliga.
"In relation to competitions in which the video assistant referee (VAR) system is implemented, these competitions are permitted to cease its use upon restart at the discretion of each individual competition organizer," FIFA said in an official statement.
"However, where VAR is used, all aspects of the laws of the game and, by extension, the VAR protocol will remain in place," it added.
