Jabulani: The Official Matchball

On the day of the Final Draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, the official ball for the competition has been unveiled. The adidas Jabulani, which means ‘to celebrate’ in isiZulu, 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 next year. 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.

Grip ‘n’ Groove
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.

Minimal Seam, More Perfection
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.

“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,” said Thomas Van Schaik, the adidas Head of Global Public Relations.

A number of the world’s best players have echoed Thomas’s sentiment. Frank Lampard remarked: “It’s a very strong ball, true to hit.” While on the receiving end of one of Lampard’s strikes goalkeeper Petr Cech said “You can feel the energy coming towards you, like a shot.”

Football History
From as far back as the Telstar used at Mexico 1970, the first ever adidas FIFA World Cup ball, adidas have been dedicated to propelling football technology into the future, always innovating and never settling for the ordinary.

The distinct 32 white and black leather panels that comprised the Telstar made it the roundest ball of its time. Meanwhile the Tango used at Argentina 1978 was so futuristic that it formed the blueprint for the next five FIFA World Cup footballs. The 2002 and 2006 editions of the FIFA World Cup ushered in football revolutions in their own right, showing adidas’ ability to keep ahead of the game, in a world in which technology is changing faster than ever before.

From that first 32 white and black paneled Telstar to the eight-paneled synthetic masterpiece that is ‘Jabulani’, adidas have maintained a standard is line with their core value “impossible is nothing.”

Controversy

However the new ball has not come without its controversy and criticisms. The ball was noted as behaving “completely different” at altitude by England coach Fabio Capello.

Brazil goalkeeper Júlio César said the ball felt horrible, comparing it to a “supermarket” ball that favored strikers and worked against goalkeepers.

Giampaolo Pazzini from Italy labelled it “a disaster”.

Chile’s goalkeeper, Claudio Bravo, complained about the ball, saying “It was made to prejudice goalkeepers”.

Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas also branded the ball ‘appalling’.

Italian keeper Gigi Buffon said: “it is very sad that a competition so important as the world championship will be played with such a horrible ball”.

Brazilian striker Luís Fabiano called the ball “supernatural”, as it unpredictably changed direction when traveling through the air, adding that none of the players of the Brazilian squad reacted in favor of the ball. In the same interview, Brazilian Júlio Baptista said the ball worked against strikers and goalkeepers, as it moved in different and unintended directions after a kick.

Joe Hart of England, after training with the ball for a number of days, said the ‘balls have been doing anything but staying in my gloves.’

Denmark coach Morten Olsen after their 1-0 friendly defeat at the hands of Australia: “We played with an impossible ball and we need to get used to it.”

Brazilian striker Robinho has stated “For sure the guy who designed this ball never played football. But there is nothing we can do, we have to play with it.”

English goalkeeper David James has said that “The ball is dreadful. It’s horrible, but it’s horrible for everyone.”

Adidas has said that the ball had been used since January of 2010, and that most feedback from players had been positive. A spokesperson said the company was “surprised” by the negative reaction to the ball.