It’s interesting to see how the actual ball used in the World Cup tournament has evolved over the years:

It’s not unusual for the the official ball to be criticized.

The Jabulani is the official match ball for the 2010 FIFA World CupThe ball, manufactured by Adidas, was developed at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom and unveiled in Cape Town, South Africa on December 4, 2009. The word “jabulani” means “celebrate” in isiZulu. A gold color version called the Jo’bulani is to be used for the World Cup Final.

The ball was also used as the match ball for the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and a special version of the ball, the Jabulani Angola, was the match ball of the 2010 African Cup of Nations. This ball was also used in the 2010 Clausura Tournament of Argentina as well as the 2010 MLS season in the USA and Canada in the league’s colors of blue and green and will be used in the 2010–11 Bundesliga and the 2010–11 Portuguese Liga in the orange color.

There has been criticisim of the new ball – it is constructed using a new design, consisting of eight (down from 14 in the last World Cup) thermally bonded, three-dimensional panels. These are spherically molded from ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). The surface of the ball is textured with grooves, a technology developed by Adidas called “Grip ‘n’ Groove” that are intended to improve the ball’s aerodynamics. The design has received considerable academic input, being developed in partnership with researchers from Loughborough University, United Kingdom.

As with the Fevernova and Teamgeist at the two previous tournaments, the ball has received pre-tournament criticism. Brazil goalkeeper Júlio César compared it to a “supermarket” ball that favored strikers and worked against goalkeepers. Other similar complaints came from Giampaolo Pazzini, Claudio Bravo, and Iker Casillas. Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon said, “it is very sad that a competition so important as the world championship will be played with such an inadequate ball.”[17] whilst Brazilian striker Luís Fabiano called the ball “supernatural,” as it unpredictably changed direction when traveling through the air.[18] Brazilian striker Robinho 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.” 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.” He did, however, describe the ball as “good fun” to use, even though it is hard work for goalkeepers to cope with. English goalkeeper David James said that, “the ball is dreadful. It’s horrible, but it’s horrible for everyone.”It was suggested the ball behaved “completely different” at altitude by England coach Fabio Capello. Denmark coach Morten Olsen, after their 1–0 friendly defeat at the hands of Australia, said, “We played with an impossible ball and we need to get used to it.” Argentina striker Lionel Messi stated, “The ball is very complicated for the goalkeepers and for us [strikers].” Argentinian coach Diego Maradona said, “We won’t see any long passes in this world cup because the ball doesn’t fly straight”.

American Clint Dempsey was more favorable. He said that, “if you just hit it solid, you can get a good knuckle on the ball… you’ve just got to pay a little bit more, you know, attention when you pass the ball sometimes.”

It was suggested by The Guardian on June 16, 2010 that the Jabulani ball may be responsible for the goal drought in the first round of the tournament. The Guardian mentioned the FIFA representative, who was queried daily for his opinion on the goal drought, as saying it was probably too early to make a definitive judgment, though it would be hard to deny that the first round was more cagey and defensively minded than usual. Owen Gibson of The Guardian suggested that a lack of confidence in how the ball would travel could be affecting the number of shots taken. Following Portugal’s 7–0 victory over North Korea in the second round of the group stage, however, Portugal’s coach Carlos Queiroz said, “We love the ball.”

In July 2010, ex-Liverpool FC footballer Craig Johnston wrote a 12-page open letter to FIFA president Sepp Blatter outlining perceived failings of the Jabulani ball. He compiled feedback from professional players criticizing the ball for poor performance and asked that it be abandoned by FIFA.

The Jabulani is the official match ball for the 2010 FIFA World CupThe ball, manufactured by Adidas, was developed at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom and unveiled in Cape Town, South Africa on December 4, 2009. The word “jabulani” means “celebrate” in isiZulu. A gold color version called the Jo’bulani is to be used for the World Cup Final.

The ball was also used as the match ball for the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and a special version of the ball, the Jabulani Angola, was the match ball of the 2010 African Cup of Nations. This ball was also used in the 2010 Clausura Tournament of Argentina as well as the 2010 MLS season in the USA and Canada in the league’s colors of blue and green and will be used in the 2010–11 Bundesliga and the 2010–11 Portuguese Liga in the orange color.

There has been criticism of the new ball – it is constructed using a new design, consisting of eight (down from 14 in the last World Cup) thermally bonded, three-dimensional panels. These are spherically molded from ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). The surface of the ball is textured with grooves, a technology developed by Adidas called “Grip ‘n’ Groove” that are intended to improve the ball’s aerodynamics. The design has received considerable academic input, being developed in partnership with researchers from Loughborough University, United Kingdom.

As with the Fevernova and Teamgeist at the two previous tournaments, the ball has received pre-tournament criticism. Brazil goalkeeper Júlio César compared it to a “supermarket” ball that favored strikers and worked against goalkeepers. Other similar complaints came from Giampaolo Pazzini, Claudio Bravo, and Iker Casillas. Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon said, “it is very sad that a competition so important as the world championship will be played with such an inadequate ball.” Whilst Brazilian striker Luís Fabiano called the ball “supernatural,” as it unpredictably changed direction when traveling through the air. Brazilian striker Robinho 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.” 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.” He did, however, describe the ball as “good fun” to use, even though it is hard work for goalkeepers to cope with. English goalkeeper David James said that, “the ball is dreadful. It’s horrible, but it’s horrible for everyone.”It was suggested the ball behaved “completely different” at altitude by England coach Fabio Capello. Denmark coach Morten Olsen, after their 1–0 friendly defeat at the hands of Australia, said, “We played with an impossible ball and we need to get used to it.” Argentina striker Lionel Messi stated, “The ball is very complicated for the goalkeepers and for us [strikers].” Argentinian coach Diego Maradona said, “We won’t see any long passes in this world cup because the ball doesn’t fly straight”.

American Clint Dempsey was more favorable. He said that, “if you just hit it solid, you can get a good knuckle on the ball… you’ve just got to pay a little bit more, you know, attention when you pass the ball sometimes.”

It was suggested by The Guardian on June 16, 2010 that the Jabulani ball may be responsible for the goal drought in the first round of the tournament. The Guardian mentioned the FIFA representative, who was queried daily for his opinion on the goal drought, as saying it was probably too early to make a definitive judgment, though it would be hard to deny that the first round was more cagey and defensively minded than usual. Owen Gibson of The Guardian suggested that a lack of confidence in how the ball would travel could be affecting the number of shots taken. Following Portugal’s 7–0 victory over North Korea in the second round of the group stage, however, Portugal’s coach Carlos Queiroz said, “We love the ball.”

In July 2010, ex-Liverpool FC footballer Craig Johnston wrote a 12-page open letter to FIFA president Sepp Blatter outlining perceived failings of the Jabulani ball. He compiled feedback from professional players criticizing the ball for poor performance and asked that it be abandoned by FIFA.

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