By Duncan Mackay
December 5 – The official match ball for next year’s World Cup finals designed by Adidas will be called Jabulani, it has been announced.
The Jabulani – which means “celebrate” in IsiZulu – is splashed with colors representing the 11 tribes and languages of the host country.
Adidas has produced new balls for every World Cup since 1970.
It claims the latest version gives players better control in all weather conditions, through its system of panels, grooves and “goose bumps” Adidas claim.
A study by Adidas showed altitude at next year’s World Cup will have an impact of up to five percent on a ball’s speed.
A free kick from 20 metres during the final at Soccer City in high-altitude Johannesburg will reach the goal line five percent faster than it would at the Moses Mabhida Stadium at Durban, which is at sea level, the extensive study has found.
That translates into a free kick traveling at an average of 78 miles per hour at high altitude and 74 mph at sea level, the study says.
Chris Miall, the product line manager for Adidas, claimed that the feedback from players who have been given a sneak preview of the ball is overwhelmingly positive.
He said: ”The players like it.
“[It has been tested] in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, and some of the MLS (Major League Soccer) teams have been given the ball in advance, and it is well approved by the players.
“It’s designed to go truer.
“If your goal is to kick the ball straighter, it will fly as you struck it.
“If your goal is to ‘bend it like Beckham’, then it will bend like it’s supposed to.”
The ball will sell for $150 (£91).
Miall said he would not be surprised if engineers were already working prototype balls for Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup.
He said: ”They’re always pushing forward.
“We plan our product 18 months in advance of when it actually sells.
“I promise they’re already looking at how they can make this ball better.
“They’ll take the results they’ll see from the World Cup, and if there are complaints from the players for whatever reason, they’ll take those into account and make the next ball better.
“Our goal is to make the best soccer ball in the world.”
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