Police Investigates Ballon d'Or Fraud Involving Harry Kane

Police have opened a fraud investigation into the Ballon d'Or award won by Harry Kane.

The probe targets irregularities surrounding the voting process for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.

Kane, 33, won the award on October 28, 2026, after a season with Bayern Munich.

The England captain scored 156 goals in 161 games for the German club since joining from Tottenham in 2023.

He has won two Bundesliga titles, a German Cup and the Ballon d'Or during his time in Munich.

Just days after receiving the award, Kane signed a two-year contract extension with Bayern through 2029.

The deal was announced on November 5, 2026, and was reportedly worth a record sum for the club.

Kane said the decision to extend was made "a long time ago."

"We signed the contract yesterday, but to be honest the decision was made quite a long time ago," he told reporters on November 5.

"I knew I was going to sign, it was just a matter of some of the details and the behind-the-scenes stuff."

The fraud investigation was launched by authorities in France, where the Ballon d'Or is organized by France Football magazine.

French police are examining whether votes were manipulated or improperly influenced before the final tally.

The Ballon d'Or is voted on by a panel of international journalists, national team captains and coaches.

Each voter selects a top five from a pre-selected shortlist, with points awarded on a sliding scale.

Kane's win was widely celebrated as a career milestone after years of near-misses.

He finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting in 2024 and third in 2023 before finally winning in 2026.

The investigation does not name any specific individuals as suspects at this stage.

It is described as a preliminary inquiry to determine whether any laws were broken.

French authorities have not released details about what triggered the probe.

Kane's representatives have not publicly commented on the investigation.

Bayern Munich has also not issued a statement regarding the police inquiry.

The Ballon d'Or has faced controversy before over voting transparency.

Critics have long questioned the weighting of votes from different regions and the lack of published full vote breakdowns.

In 2021, France Football introduced changes to the voting process after criticism that the award favored attacking players.

The 2026 award was given to Kane ahead of runners-up Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.

Mbappe scored 52 goals for Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid last season.

Haaland netted 44 goals for Manchester City in the same period.

Kane's 56 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich edged them out.

The police investigation adds an unprecedented cloud over the award's credibility.

No Ballon d'Or winner has ever been stripped of the honor after a fraud investigation.

The probe is in its early stages and could take months to conclude.

If evidence of wrongdoing is found, France Football could face legal consequences or be forced to revise the results.

For now, Kane remains the official Ballon d'Or winner and continues his career at Bayern Munich.

He is expected to lead the line for Bayern in their Champions League campaign this season.

The club's executives expressed delight at securing his contract extension last week.

Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen called the extension "fantastic news for us, for our fans and for the Bundesliga."

"The Ballon d'Or winner is staying at Bayern Munich," Dreesen said.

Kane's contract includes a clause that gives Tottenham Hotspur first-option matching rights.

That means Spurs can match any transfer bid from a rival club if Kane ever wants to return to the Premier League.

The clause was reported by The Daily Telegraph's Matt Law.

Kane left Tottenham in 2023 after scoring 280 goals in 435 appearances for the club.