The controversy against World Cup balls has been creating quite a fuss for sometime now. The Adidas Jabulani, which means ‘to celebrate’ in Zulu, is the 11th edition of adidas’s FIFA World Cup balls. The 11 colours that are present on the Jabulani pay tribute to both football and the country in which Africa’s first-ever FIFA World Cup will be held. They represent a colour for each team player, every official South African language and for each of the 11 South African communities that will welcome the world. The design celebrates two of the most important facets of the South African nation – diversity and harmony – as it is these principles that make it such a colourful and welcoming nation.
Jabulani ushers in some major advances in football technology. Running your hands over the ball, the first impression is the grip’n’groove texture, which allows for maximum control, stable flight and perfect grip under all conditions. The grip ’n’ groove’s profile circles twist around round the entire ball in an optimal aerodynamic way and the integrated grooves provide unmatched flight characteristics, making this the most stable and most accurate adidas ball ever.
As opposed to the flat-paneled molding of previous Adidas footballs, Jabulani comprises eight thermally bonded 3D panels that have been, for the first time ever, spherically molded to make this ball a perfectly round football that is more accurate than ever before.
Thomas Van Schaik, the Adidas Head of Global Public Relations said, “According to the rigorous FIFA specification range for footballs, we have created a ball that is small and heavy allowing for maximum accuracy, perfect grip and exceptionally stable flight.”
Tested for use at Loughborough University in England and at the Adidas football laboratory in Germany, the “Jabulani” ball was put into action through adidas’ partnership with the world-class athletes at AC Milan, FC Bayern Munchen, the Orlando Pirates and Ajax Cape Town.
Mr. Gordon Banks accuses the new World Cup ball of “destroying the art of goalkeeping” but these statements are normal. Many World Cup players have expressed shock at the new ball’s tendency to explode off the foot, shift in direction and bounce erratically. Even the likes of players like Messi and Coaches like Dunga have expressed concerns.
The Problem- The altitude level of Stadiums . For example at -In Rustenburg, which is 1150 metres up; Balls invariably travel faster in the thinner air of South Africa’s highveld giving absolutely no time for the keeper to react.
This is creating so much anger amongst goalkeepers. If a goalkeeper has never played at altitude, he’s not used to see the ball move at a faster pace than at sea level. Combine this with the tendency for the newer balls to move drastically in flight, you can only sympathize with the goalkeeper’s fear of conceding more goals than normal. Petr Cech said “You can feel the energy coming towards you, like a shot.” Italy’s star goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon called it a “beachball.” And Brazil ‘keeper Julio Cesar compared it unflatteringly to supermarket stock. After his team’s warm-up win against Saudi Arabia last Sunday, Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas also unfavorably compared it to a beach-ball. Since playing with it in his team’s friendly with Japan at the weekend, England’s David James has become the latest of a number of high-profile goalkeepers — along with Buffon and Brazil’s Julio Cesar voicing their concerns over the ball. “The ball is dreadful,” the 39-year-old told reporters. “There are undoubtedly going to be some goals scored in this tournament which in previous tournaments with different balls wouldn’t have been scored. It’ll allow some people to score extra goals, but leave some goalkeepers looking daft.” Wendell [who is the goalkeeper coach for the Brazilian team] stated that the ball “is highly unpredictable when hit from long distances”.
But unlike past World Cups where strikers and goalkeepers were divided over the merits of the ball, this year those in-goal have been backed up by some on-field players too.
Marcos Tulio Tanaka, who scored a goal for Japan as well as an own-goal for England on Sunday, has described the ball as “difficult for defenders to deal with.” And Italy striker Giampaolo Pazzini agrees. “The new ball is a disaster for strikers,” he said. “It’s fast and it weighs less than a normal ball.” Luis Fabiano [who is a striker for Brazil] commented that the ball is “supernatural” because the person “kicks it and it moves out of the way”. Frank Lampard of the English National Football/Soccer Team has praised the ball saying that it is “a true to hit very strong ball”. Xavi [the midfielder for Spain] have also praised the Jabulani Ball. Xabi Alonso has also stated that people “have to get used to the ball.” Real Madrid’s Brazilian superstar Kaka said, “For me, contact with the ball is all-important. That’s just great with this ball.”
But despite such pre-tournament disapproval, Adidas officials have staunchly defended the Jabulani ball. They insist that it has been designed to aid the players, with the latest advances in football technology in mind.
Let’s hope we see some spectacular goals and very few scoreless draws. We want our best players to score and our favorite team to win. Regardless the ball is good, bad or ugly.
As opposed to the flat-paneled molding of previous Adidas footballs, Jabulani comprises eight thermally bonded 3D panels that have been, for the first time ever, spherically molded to make this ball a perfectly round football that is more accurate than ever before.
Thomas Van Schaik, the Adidas Head of Global Public Relations said, “According to the rigorous FIFA specification range for footballs, we have created a ball that is small and heavy allowing for maximum accuracy, perfect grip and exceptionally stable flight.”
Tested for use at Loughborough University in England and at the Adidas football laboratory in Germany, the “Jabulani” ball was put into action through adidas’ partnership with the world-class athletes at AC Milan, FC Bayern Munchen, the Orlando Pirates and Ajax Cape Town.
Mr. Gordon Banks accuses the new World Cup ball of “destroying the art of goalkeeping” but these statements are normal. Many World Cup players have expressed shock at the new ball’s tendency to explode off the foot, shift in direction and bounce erratically. Even the likes of players like Messi and Coaches like Dunga have expressed concerns.
The Problem- The altitude level of Stadiums . For example at -In Rustenburg, which is 1150 metres up; Balls invariably travel faster in the thinner air of South Africa’s highveld giving absolutely no time for the keeper to react.
This is creating so much anger amongst goalkeepers. If a goalkeeper has never played at altitude, he’s not used to see the ball move at a faster pace than at sea level. Combine this with the tendency for the newer balls to move drastically in flight, you can only sympathize with the goalkeeper’s fear of conceding more goals than normal. Petr Cech said “You can feel the energy coming towards you, like a shot.” Italy’s star goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon called it a “beachball.” And Brazil ‘keeper Julio Cesar compared it unflatteringly to supermarket stock. After his team’s warm-up win against Saudi Arabia last Sunday, Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas also unfavorably compared it to a beach-ball. Since playing with it in his team’s friendly with Japan at the weekend, England’s David James has become the latest of a number of high-profile goalkeepers — along with Buffon and Brazil’s Julio Cesar voicing their concerns over the ball. “The ball is dreadful,” the 39-year-old told reporters. “There are undoubtedly going to be some goals scored in this tournament which in previous tournaments with different balls wouldn’t have been scored. It’ll allow some people to score extra goals, but leave some goalkeepers looking daft.” Wendell [who is the goalkeeper coach for the Brazilian team] stated that the ball “is highly unpredictable when hit from long distances”.
But unlike past World Cups where strikers and goalkeepers were divided over the merits of the ball, this year those in-goal have been backed up by some on-field players too.
Marcos Tulio Tanaka, who scored a goal for Japan as well as an own-goal for England on Sunday, has described the ball as “difficult for defenders to deal with.” And Italy striker Giampaolo Pazzini agrees. “The new ball is a disaster for strikers,” he said. “It’s fast and it weighs less than a normal ball.” Luis Fabiano [who is a striker for Brazil] commented that the ball is “supernatural” because the person “kicks it and it moves out of the way”. Frank Lampard of the English National Football/Soccer Team has praised the ball saying that it is “a true to hit very strong ball”. Xavi [the midfielder for Spain] have also praised the Jabulani Ball. Xabi Alonso has also stated that people “have to get used to the ball.” Real Madrid’s Brazilian superstar Kaka said, “For me, contact with the ball is all-important. That’s just great with this ball.”
But despite such pre-tournament disapproval, Adidas officials have staunchly defended the Jabulani ball. They insist that it has been designed to aid the players, with the latest advances in football technology in mind.
Let’s hope we see some spectacular goals and very few scoreless draws. We want our best players to score and our favorite team to win. Regardless the ball is good, bad or ugly.
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