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Former Arsenal and England striker Alan Smith tests out the World Cup ball.
It seems to happen every time. A new ball is designed for the World Cup and, within days, every goalkeeper starts to have a good moan. Too light. Swerves in the air too much. Not fair on keepers.
Well, it has happened again, only this time the complaints are more concerted. None of England's goalkeepers are fans of the Jabulani, which ironically translates as "happy" or "rejoice".
Neither word could be attached to Brazil's Julio Cesar, who was positively scathing in describing it as "a ball you'd buy in the supermarket". Worryingly, that is just one criticism of many from a list that includes Iker Casillas of Spain, France's Hugo Lloris and Australia's Mark Schwarzer.
Schwarzer said: "The ball is difficult. You have got to take time to adjust to it.
"It's not pretty," he added, "but everyone is in the same boat and you just have to get on with it."
As if to confirm the fear, England winger Joe Cole yesterday predicted that keepers would be "petrified" of what this ball could get up to. That did it. I had to get hold of one to test it myself, just to make sure these players were not exaggerating. So, thanks to the England camp, I took a couple across to one of the pitches at their training base at Royal Bafokeng.
And it did not take long to understand all the fuss. No matter how I hit it, the white and gold Jabulani kept doing the oddest of things, both in the air and on the ground. I tried a curler with the inside of my right foot, and instead of the ball bending gradually to the left as you would expect, it somehow defied the laws of physics by momentarily veering to the right halfway to goal. Was I seeing things here? Just to make sure, I tried it again and, amazingly, the ball reacted in the same way.
Yet the opposite happened when I struck it with my instep on the half-volley. It was heading narrowly wide when, a few yards from the target, it swerved violently to the left to find the top corner. Blimey, this is good, I thought - a tracking device implanted in the ball that finds the net however you hit it. I would have scored 50 a season with that kind of help.
But would it work with volleys? Well, yes and no. Launching the ball out of my hands, the ball tended to dip up and down rather than move from side to side.
Alan Smith, seen here playing with a very different ball in 1994.
As for a powerful thump off the deck with my laces, the ball flew forward in a fairly straight line before oscillating wildly in flight like an excited fly.
Up until now, all these deviations added up to bad news for keepers and promising news for players trying their luck. But then something happened that widened the implications. Standing by the goal, my photographer retrieved a ball and side-footed it back along the floor. And even though it was not travelling with any real pace it still managed to swerve on its short journey.
That means every single player in this World Cup is going to have to concentrate hard when receiving a pass, even if it is a simple, 10-yard job. As for a raking 40-yard effort, some people are going to end up looking stupid because they cannot control the approaching missile.
It might even be the same with judging the bounce, because the England lads have witnessed some extraordinary reactions when this ball rears up in front of them in training. At the moment, they cannot make up their minds if the type of grass used in Bafokeng is responsible or if it is this darned ball playing tricks again.
Brazil's Luis Fabiano highlighted the basic point, revealing that "all of a sudden it changes trajectory on you. I think it's supernatural".
Cole, in slight contrast, was loath to make a big thing of the issue when quizzed.
"First of all, it's the same for everyone," he said diplomatically before admitting wistfully that the unpredictable nature of these balls took "a bit of the skill out the game".
Now that would be a travesty if proved correct in a tournament when the world's best players deserve the best equipment.
For their part, Adidas defend their corner with pride. For a start, it claims the Jabulani is the roundest ball ever made and, as for all these complaints about its erratic movement, it blames the high altitude, as if the ball had not been specifically designed for use in South Africa.
The company's publicity blurb, in fact, has proved unwittingly prophetic when it talks about a "grip and groove" texture that provides "unmatched flight characteristics".
Well, you can't argue with that. This ball behaves like no other I have ever kicked in my life.
The Daily Telegraph, London
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think Sep Blatter owes the footballing world a global apology for allowing the jabulani to be used for the world cup. Most people who found it boring can now point to the fact that most games were spoilt by the game flow being continuously interupted by difficulties associated with controlling the ball.
As we all know, those magic moments of game flow we all love to watch, depend on split second passing timed to keep the move going forward and alive. A misplaced trap or pass just six inches adrift and the move breaks down or has to be restarted, we've all seen it in our domestic game.
Add to that a ball which adds a few split seconds extra to control, and it was a recipe for disaster and game boredom. From the opening game it was obvious something was wrong. Drop goalkicks were bouncing 20 - 30ft high. Lofted thru balls were uncatchable. Crosses became rising graph charts.
Players seemed to be heading the ball with the bridge of their noses in order to gain the slightest touch, knowing that any firmer sort of contact would send the ball out of play. Any long pass in front of a player went out. Crosses on the run had to become up and unders. Headers on target became virtually extinct because of the ball speed and rebound contact. Goalkeepers were unable to deal with ball velocity. How many players careers and lives will now be affected?
Remember the ricochet deflection that led to Switzerland's goal against Germany, it went like a bullet. Schneider's headed goal against Uruguay only went in because of the rebound speed, and he was leaning back as well, it would never have generated that pace with a normal matchball.
Fifa must have known the ball was going to be a severe problem for the teams and players, after trialling it in several leagues this past season, and I am suggesting that they refused to accept it was a problem and change it.
Team tactics which relied on occasional long ball play were made redundant at a stroke. After about three days the Mail reported that various FA's had complained to FIFA, but nothing happened. Two weeks later, Fifa admitted the ball was problematic but brushed it aside by saying that all new balls are initially criticised. The FA's involved should have stood their ground and complained loud and clear, the ball is rubbish. But they were either told to shut up or bottled it.
TV pundits on both channels refused to comment on the ball, when it was blatantly obvious it was destroying the play. And we're talking about the likes of famous players and commentators who should have known better. They must have been told not to talk about it, or were grossly incompetent.
They chose to blame players for bad control. They chose not to see the ball irregularities as maybe this took them outside their pundit comfort roles. "All world cups follow a similar pattern of start to end scenarios. However, that ball is acting strange, but I don't want to talk about it on air in case I get slated by somebody".
It would have taken guts to stand up, be counted and make an issue of it. And they all bottled it.
FIFA could have announced ,we're not happy with the ball and we're going to use the previous matchballs instead.
The FA's bottled it when they didn't complain loudly and long enough.
TV pundits bottled it and chose not to see what everybody else could see.
FIFA's problem was a loss of face. Who the hell sanctioned that stupid ball. How much money was involved, was this their discomfort?
Billions of people around the world suffered in frustration and anger. All because nobody would stand up and say, hey, there's a problem here, let's get it sorted
Thank you FIFA, FA's and TV pundits for ruining my world cup.
You know what, I don't really want an apology, I demand it.
It seems to happen every time. A new ball is designed for the World Cup and, within days, every goalkeeper starts to have a good moan. Too light. Swerves in the air too much. Not fair on keepers.
Well, it has happened again, only this time the complaints are more concerted. None of England's goalkeepers are fans of the Jabulani, which ironically translates as "happy" or "rejoice".
Neither word could be attached to Brazil's Julio Cesar, who was positively scathing in describing it as "a ball you'd buy in the supermarket". Worryingly, that is just one criticism of many from a list that includes Iker Casillas of Spain, France's Hugo Lloris and Australia's Mark Schwarzer.
Schwarzer said: "The ball is difficult. You have got to take time to adjust to it.
"It's not pretty," he added, "but everyone is in the same boat and you just have to get on with it."
As if to confirm the fear, England winger Joe Cole yesterday predicted that keepers would be "petrified" of what this ball could get up to. That did it. I had to get hold of one to test it myself, just to make sure these players were not exaggerating. So, thanks to the England camp, I took a couple across to one of the pitches at their training base at Royal Bafokeng.
And it did not take long to understand all the fuss. No matter how I hit it, the white and gold Jabulani kept doing the oddest of things, both in the air and on the ground. I tried a curler with the inside of my right foot, and instead of the ball bending gradually to the left as you would expect, it somehow defied the laws of physics by momentarily veering to the right halfway to goal. Was I seeing things here? Just to make sure, I tried it again and, amazingly, the ball reacted in the same way.
Yet the opposite happened when I struck it with my instep on the half-volley. It was heading narrowly wide when, a few yards from the target, it swerved violently to the left to find the top corner. Blimey, this is good, I thought - a tracking device implanted in the ball that finds the net however you hit it. I would have scored 50 a season with that kind of help.
But would it work with volleys? Well, yes and no. Launching the ball out of my hands, the ball tended to dip up and down rather than move from side to side.
Alan Smith, seen here playing with a very different ball in 1994.
As for a powerful thump off the deck with my laces, the ball flew forward in a fairly straight line before oscillating wildly in flight like an excited fly.
Up until now, all these deviations added up to bad news for keepers and promising news for players trying their luck. But then something happened that widened the implications. Standing by the goal, my photographer retrieved a ball and side-footed it back along the floor. And even though it was not travelling with any real pace it still managed to swerve on its short journey.
That means every single player in this World Cup is going to have to concentrate hard when receiving a pass, even if it is a simple, 10-yard job. As for a raking 40-yard effort, some people are going to end up looking stupid because they cannot control the approaching missile.
It might even be the same with judging the bounce, because the England lads have witnessed some extraordinary reactions when this ball rears up in front of them in training. At the moment, they cannot make up their minds if the type of grass used in Bafokeng is responsible or if it is this darned ball playing tricks again.
Brazil's Luis Fabiano highlighted the basic point, revealing that "all of a sudden it changes trajectory on you. I think it's supernatural".
Cole, in slight contrast, was loath to make a big thing of the issue when quizzed.
"First of all, it's the same for everyone," he said diplomatically before admitting wistfully that the unpredictable nature of these balls took "a bit of the skill out the game".
Now that would be a travesty if proved correct in a tournament when the world's best players deserve the best equipment.
For their part, Adidas defend their corner with pride. For a start, it claims the Jabulani is the roundest ball ever made and, as for all these complaints about its erratic movement, it blames the high altitude, as if the ball had not been specifically designed for use in South Africa.
The company's publicity blurb, in fact, has proved unwittingly prophetic when it talks about a "grip and groove" texture that provides "unmatched flight characteristics".
Well, you can't argue with that. This ball behaves like no other I have ever kicked in my life.
The Daily Telegraph, London
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think Sep Blatter owes the footballing world a global apology for allowing the jabulani to be used for the world cup. Most people who found it boring can now point to the fact that most games were spoilt by the game flow being continuously interupted by difficulties associated with controlling the ball.
As we all know, those magic moments of game flow we all love to watch, depend on split second passing timed to keep the move going forward and alive. A misplaced trap or pass just six inches adrift and the move breaks down or has to be restarted, we've all seen it in our domestic game.
Add to that a ball which adds a few split seconds extra to control, and it was a recipe for disaster and game boredom. From the opening game it was obvious something was wrong. Drop goalkicks were bouncing 20 - 30ft high. Lofted thru balls were uncatchable. Crosses became rising graph charts.
Players seemed to be heading the ball with the bridge of their noses in order to gain the slightest touch, knowing that any firmer sort of contact would send the ball out of play. Any long pass in front of a player went out. Crosses on the run had to become up and unders. Headers on target became virtually extinct because of the ball speed and rebound contact. Goalkeepers were unable to deal with ball velocity. How many players careers and lives will now be affected?
Remember the ricochet deflection that led to Switzerland's goal against Germany, it went like a bullet. Schneider's headed goal against Uruguay only went in because of the rebound speed, and he was leaning back as well, it would never have generated that pace with a normal matchball.
Fifa must have known the ball was going to be a severe problem for the teams and players, after trialling it in several leagues this past season, and I am suggesting that they refused to accept it was a problem and change it.
Team tactics which relied on occasional long ball play were made redundant at a stroke. After about three days the Mail reported that various FA's had complained to FIFA, but nothing happened. Two weeks later, Fifa admitted the ball was problematic but brushed it aside by saying that all new balls are initially criticised. The FA's involved should have stood their ground and complained loud and clear, the ball is rubbish. But they were either told to shut up or bottled it.
TV pundits on both channels refused to comment on the ball, when it was blatantly obvious it was destroying the play. And we're talking about the likes of famous players and commentators who should have known better. They must have been told not to talk about it, or were grossly incompetent.
They chose to blame players for bad control. They chose not to see the ball irregularities as maybe this took them outside their pundit comfort roles. "All world cups follow a similar pattern of start to end scenarios. However, that ball is acting strange, but I don't want to talk about it on air in case I get slated by somebody".
It would have taken guts to stand up, be counted and make an issue of it. And they all bottled it.
FIFA could have announced ,we're not happy with the ball and we're going to use the previous matchballs instead.
The FA's bottled it when they didn't complain loudly and long enough.
TV pundits bottled it and chose not to see what everybody else could see.
FIFA's problem was a loss of face. Who the hell sanctioned that stupid ball. How much money was involved, was this their discomfort?
Billions of people around the world suffered in frustration and anger. All because nobody would stand up and say, hey, there's a problem here, let's get it sorted
Thank you FIFA, FA's and TV pundits for ruining my world cup.
You know what, I don't really want an apology, I demand it.
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