Which participants in the Adidas World Cup are complaining about the soccer ball?”
Topic:- “Adidas World Cup are complaining about the soccer ball” Description:- Adidas AG calls the soccer ball it designed for the World Cup the Jabulani—meaning “to rejoice” in Zulu—but the chorus of whining from players and coaches about the ball’s wobbly behavior is taking the gloss off the sports-equipment maker’s marketing campaign. Adidas has made the redesign of the tournament soccer ball every four years a central part of its product strategy, selling 13 million Jabulani-themed balls so far. The company claims its engineering has transformed soccer-ball technology and improves the standard of play. Many players and coaches at the World Cup beg to differ. Both winning and losing teams have complained that the ball moves in mysterious ways. Adidas says complaints about its World Cup balls come and fade like clockwork every four years. “It’s a little bit of a joke,” said Antonio Zea, director of soccer for Adidas America. View Full Image Getty Images The Jabulani joins a long list
The Adidas Jabulani, named after the Zulu word for “rejoice,” has been by far the most-hated in a continuing series of controversial Adidas World Cup balls. Reinventing the wheel (or sphere, rather), the Jabulani flies further and more erratically than a traditional soccer ball by getting rid of seams and using thermally-bonded panels instead. These alterations, made ostensibly to improve the game, have actually disoriented and hurt both outfielders and goalkeepers. So now the legitimacy of this World Cup, and we’re no longer sure if any given mistake is due to the players on-field or the brand new ball they’re coping with. Naturally, when measures are taken to create a different kind of ball for a single tournament, players will complain. They don’t need one more thing to worry about on the biggest stage of all. Yet FIFA has specifically asked for special Adidas ball designs that will encourage offense for several World Cups in a row now. Goalkeepers complained in 2002 and 2006, claim
