Moratti unhappy with Sneijder snub

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti believes it is unfair that Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder missed out on a Ballon d’Or nomination.

The Inter midfielder was left off the final shortlist after the initial group of 23 candidates was narrowed to just three.

In a further slap for Sneijder, the three players who remain in the running for the prestigious award – Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta – are all from the same club, La Liga champions Barcelona.

Sneijder helped guide Inter to a historic treble last season, winning the Serie A, UEFA Champions League and Italian Cup titles in the same season, while also scoring five goals as the Netherlands made it to the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

And Moratti believes that Sneijder’s achievements should have made him a prime candidate for FIFA’s top award.

“I don’t think it is fair: Wesley Sneijder has had a phenomenal season and he has won everything he could have won, for me he deserved to win the Ballon d’Or,” Moratti said.

“I didn’t think it is right that the award is going to be given to another player who didn’t perform the whole year, even if we are speaking about a great player.”

It is the first year that France Football’s Ballon d’Or will be combined with the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Messi took out both awards in 2009.