Germany boss Joachim Loew has decided to abstain from voting in the Ballon d’Or, the German football federation (DFB) has announced.

Five of his players – Bayern Munich quartet Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Mueller, and Arsenal star Mesut Ozil – have been nominated for FIFA’s annual gong.

But with individual votes announced after the ceremony, Loew has refused to cause possible unrest among his squad mere months before the World Cup by openly expressing his preference for one player over another.

“Since FIFA makes the choice of the jury members public, it brings the national coach in a kind of quandary,” said DFB spokesperson Jens Grittner.

“He sees himself unable to vote objectively and impartially. There-fore, he has decided to abstain from the election.

“German football federation general secretary Helmut Sandrock has communicated this in a letter to FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke, asking for understanding.”

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.