World Cup 2010 The Ball ..Questionable

England coach Fabio Capello believes the World Cup ball is the worst he has ever seen.

The Jabulani ball being used in South Africa for the World Cup has been widely criticised because of its irregular flight.

"For the players it is terrible," said Capello. "It is also terrible for the keepers because it is impossible to anticipate the trajectory."

World governing body Fifa has defended the ball, saying it was fully "tested".

The Jabulani - its name derives from the Zulu words "to celebrate" - was made available in February and was used at this year's Africa Cup of Nations as well as a number of domestic leagues, including Germany, Argentina and the United States.

The ball was tested at Loughborough University in England but it was not used in the Premier League because it has a contract with rival manufacturer Nike.

606: DEBATE
Give your views on the World Cup ball

Adidas say altitude is the main factor affecting the way the ball behaves in flight and have blamed players for not practising enough with it before the tournament

However, Capello feels the ball is having an adverse effect on games.

"The big problem is that sometimes this ball is impossible to control," said England's Italian manager.

"It is good when you play short passes but when you try to switch the ball with long passes it is very difficult to understand the trajectory."

England drew their opening game with the USA 1-1 when an awful error from goalkeeper Robert Green allowed Clint Dempsey to equalise Steven Gerrard's opening goal in Rustenburg.

Green refused to blame the ball for his handling error but admitted that it had moved unexpectedly after Dempsey hit his shot.

Rooney denies ball is a problem

Ivory Coast boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has joined the chorus of criticism and believes goalkeepers should be consulted when new footballs are being designed for international tournaments.

"It's too late to do something about it in this World Cup," said Eriksson.

"It's a decision for the authorities for the next big tournament. It should be discussed and everyone should listen to the top goalkeepers in the world."

England's David James, Italy's Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas of Spain were among the goalkeepers who criticised the Jabulani before the tournament began.

"The ball is dreadful. It's horrible but it's horrible for everyone," stated James, who said some goalkeepers would end up "looking daft".

Eriksson, who was previously in charge of England and Mexico, said he could understand why goalkeepers were unhappy.

"Maybe we will see some goals. But discussion between managers, the company who produce the football and the football players, that would be good," he added.
 
It does seem to take of when hit... the amount of shots flying miles over is more than I can remember in previous world cups.... and no free kicks scored yet.

You are right about the ball taking of, also when passing the ball it seem's to fly, why they tested this on a main event like this is beyond me, I believe the answer is, the ball should be a regulation weight,

It does make me smile thinking about football's, when I was a kid playing at school we had leather ball's which we at to treat with dubbing, and of course when it was a wet day that ball felt like a ton weight, and to head it well, plus kicking it well we must have been a strong lot of lads.
 
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