Should this Ball Be Dropped?

June 14, 2010
Should this Ball Be Dropped?
Soccer players complain about the official match ball of the World Cup
BY ALEXANDRA DIPALMA

Every four years, sports fans across the globe turn their attention to the World Cup, the world's biggest soccer tournament. On Friday, June 11, the event kicked off in South Africa.
The U.S. team's first game, against England, ended in a 1-1 tie. The U.S. goal was scored when England goalkeeper Robert Green let a shot by American Clint Dempsey slip through his hands. Green took full responsibility for the blunder, calling it a "horrible mistake."
But not all players are taking the blame for mistakes made on the soccer field. Instead, some are blaming the ball. The ball, designed by Adidas, is said to be too light and too unpredictable. Adidas has named the ball Jabulani, which means, "to celebrate" in Zulu, one of South Africa's main languages. But so far, no one has been celebrating the new design.
On the Ball
Italian player Giampaolo Pazzini calls the ball a "disaster." England goalkeeper David James agrees. "The ball is dreadful," James said. Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar went so far as to compare the new ball to something from the "grocery store."
Despite the complaints, Adidas says the ball is a technological achievement. It is perfectly round and made of eight molded panels, fewer than ever before. The ball also features 11 colors. They represent 11 players on a team, the 11 official languages in South Africa and the 11th straight World Cup for which Adidas has designed the game ball.
The company claims the new design allows players to have perfect control of the ball in all conditions. "The ball is much more accurate, making the best players in the world even better," said Adidas spokesman Thomas van Schaik. "If they kick the ball, they want it to go where they are aiming for, and even the goalkeepers get a better idea of where the ball is going."
Out of Control
So far, the players have found the opposite to be true. The main problem, they say, is the fact that the ball is extremely hard to control due to its weight and shape. Players complain that they are unable to properly judge the ball's path.
"It's very weird," said Brazil striker Luis Fabiano. "All of a sudden it changes on you. It's like it doesn't want to be kicked. It's like someone is guiding it."
The soccer ball has come a long way from the clunky leather balls used when the game first began in the mid 1800s. But players are not impressed with Jabulani's technological features. "Technology is not everything," said Marcus Hahnemann, the American goalkeeper.
The debate over the ball has not affected sales. Adidas has already sold twice the number of balls in the U.S. than were sold in 2006. And if you don't mind Jabulani's bad reputation, it can be yours — for $150!
990618 Should this Ball Be Dropped?---Michael
Every four years, the biggest soccer tournament “World Cup” is back! Every sports fan turns their attentions to the “World Cup”. The game starts in South Africa. Every team for the world comes to South Africa to play the game. The new soccer ball this time was designed by Adidas. They named the ball “Jabulani” it means “to celebrate” in Zulu. In fact, the truth is that nobody is celebrating this ball. A lot of people blamed of the ball. Some people even call it “disaster” because it is really dreadful. Although the spokesman of Adidas, Thomas van Schaik said that the ball is very light and easy to control it also has a good accuracy, too. But again, the truth is always different from what the spokesman said. It was totally opposite because a lot of player said that the ball is too light to kick and it flies away easily, so most of the player said that the ball was very awful. The first game of U.S. was played with England. They ended with a score of 1:1. It was a tie. Most of the people put their attention in the “World Cup”. Maybe there will be more exiting games later.