39-582: The Jabulani ( / ˌ dʒ æ b j ʊ ˈ l ɑː n i / JAB -yuu- LAH -nee , Zulu: [dʒaɓuˈlaːni] ) was a football manufactured by Adidas . It was the official match ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup . The ball is made from eight spherically moulded panels and has a textured surface intended to improve aerodynamics. It was consequently developed into the Adidas Tango 12 series of footballs. Jabulani , meaning "be happy!" in Zulu ,
78-401: A football is roughly 22 cm (8.66 inches) in diameter for a regulation size 5 ball. Rules state that a size 5 ball must be 68 to 70 cm (27 to 28 in) in circumference. Averaging that to 69 cm (27 in) and then dividing by π gives a diameter of about 22 cm (8.7 in). Regulation size and weight for a football is a circumference of 68–70 cm (27–28 in) and
117-469: 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." Brazil goalkeeper Júlio César compared it to a "supermarket" ball that favoured strikers and worked against goalkeepers. Despite this, it was suggested by The Guardian on 16 June 2010 that the Jabulani ball might have been responsible for the goal drought in the first round of
156-409: A lot of champions take part, with a ball like this" while 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
195-497: A lot of training and again a lot of practice. I got lucky and [the Jabulani] behaved very well back then. And we got along great." Adidas has said that the ball had been used since January 2010, and that most feedback from players had been positive. A spokesperson said the company was "surprised" by the negative reaction to the ball, and highlighted that the frequent pre-tournament criticism a new ball receives inevitably dies down as
234-429: A more modern appearance. In 1838, Charles Goodyear introduced vulcanized rubber , which dramatically improved football. Vulcanization is the treatment of rubber to give it certain qualities such as strength, elasticity, and resistance to solvents. Vulcanization of rubber also helps the football resist moderate heat and cold. Vulcanization helped create inflatable bladders that pressurize the outer panel arrangement of
273-492: 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 former England coach Fabio Capello . Denmark coach Morten Olsen , after their 1–0 friendly defeat at
312-713: A response to the problems with the balls in the 1962 FIFA World Cup , Adidas created the Adidas Santiago – this led to Adidas winning the contract to supply the match balls for all official FIFA and UEFA matches, which they have held since the 1970s, and also for the Olympic Games . They also supply the ball for the UEFA Champions League which is called the Adidas Finale . In early FIFA World Cups, match balls were mostly provided by
351-400: A result of the air close to the surface being affected by those seams. This causes unpredictable movement akin to the intentionally pitched Knuckleball in baseball. The speed of the ball is the main factor in its behaviour, but it is also affected by altitude and wind. Where older designs of footballs have a knuckling effect at speeds closer to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) Mehta predicted
390-546: A weight of 410–450 g (14–16 oz). The ball is inflated to a pressure of 0.6–1.1 bars (8.7–16.0 psi) at sea level. This is known as "Size 5". Smaller balls, Sizes 1, 3, and 4, are also produced for younger players or as training tools. Following consultations with football associations, clubs and ball manufacturers, FIFA has developed non-compulsory recommendations for appropriate sizes, circumferences and weights of balls for different age groups of youth football. There are different types of football balls depending on
429-657: A yellow version for indoor games. A gold colour version, called the Jo'bulani ( / ˌ dʒ oʊ b j ʊ ˈ l ɑː n i / JOH -byuu- LAH -nee ), was used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final . Its name is a portmanteau of "Jabulani" and "Jo'burg", a common nickname for Johannesburg , the match venue. The gold colouring of the ball mirrored the colour of the FIFA World Cup Trophy and also echoed another of Johannesburg's nicknames: "the City of Gold". The Jo'bulani ball
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#1732783574201468-483: Is the imperative plural form of the verb jabula "to be happy". Its design was much maligned by players at the World Cup, and production ceased after two years. The ball was constructed consisting of eight (down from 14 in the 2006 World Cup) thermally bonded, three-dimensional panels. These then were spherically moulded from ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). The surface of
507-670: The 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa . 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 United States and Canada in
546-549: The Fevernova and Teamgeist at the two previous tournaments, the Jabulani received pre- and post-tournament criticism. Iker Casillas said, "It is very sad that a competition so important as the world championship will be played with such a horrible ball." Similar complaints came from Giampaolo Pazzini and Claudio Bravo . Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said, "The new model is absolutely inadequate and I think it's shameful letting play such an important competition, where
585-705: The Laws of the Game maintained by the International Football Association Board . Additional, more stringent standards are specified by FIFA and other big governing bodies for the balls used in the competitions they sanction. Early footballs began as animal bladders or stomachs that would easily fall apart if kicked too much. Improvements became possible in the 19th century with the introduction of rubber and discoveries of vulcanization by Charles Goodyear . The modern 32-panel ball design
624-522: The Jabulani to only begin to experience the effect at a higher speed of 45–50 mph (72–80 km/h) due to its smoother surface. The higher speed required for the knuckle effect is also a more commonly struck speed - particularly following free-kicks around the goal area. Ball (association football) A football or soccer ball is the ball used in the sport of association football . The ball's spherical shape, as well as its size, weight, mass, and material composition, are specified by Law 2 of
663-487: The ball for poor performance and asked that it be abandoned by FIFA. Will Prochaska, director of the African social enterprise Alive & Kicking , criticised the decision not to use an African-made ball, such as one by his organisation. A number of Adidas-sponsored players responded favourably to the ball. Álvaro Arbeloa , commented that, "It's round, like always." Brazilian midfielder Kaká said, "For me, contact with
702-462: The ball is all-important, and that's just great with this ball." English midfielder Frank Lampard called it "a very strong ball, true to hit". German midfielder Michael Ballack said it was "fantastic; the ball does exactly what I want it to". Uruguayan forward Diego Forlán , who tied for the Golden Ball , studied the ball in the months before the tournament, explaining he had "lot of practice,
741-399: The ball was textured with grooves, a technology developed by Adidas called "Grip 'n' Groove" that was intended to improve the ball's aerodynamics. The design had received considerable academic input, being developed in partnership with researchers from Loughborough University , United Kingdom. The ball had four triangular design elements on a white background. The number 11 was prominent in
780-552: The ball. The microchip technology was considered for the goal-line technology . The ball used in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia had an embedded chip which did not provide any measurements, but provided 'user experience' via smartphone after connecting with the ball via NFC . Companies such as Umbro , Mitre , Adidas , Nike , Select and Puma are releasing footballs made out of new materials which are intended to provide more accurate flight and more power to be transferred to
819-427: The football to be pressurised. The ball's outside is made of leather, synthetic leather , polyurethane or PVC panels. The surface can be textured, weaved or embossed for greater control and touch. The panel pairs are either machine-stitched, hand-stitched or thermo-bonded (glued and bonded by heat) along the edge. To prevent water absorption balls may be specially coated, or the stitches bonded with glue. The size of
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#1732783574201858-917: The football when it is kicked or when the ball hits a surface is tested. Two styles of footballs have been tested by the Sports Technology Research Group of Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering in Loughborough University ; these two models are called the Basic FE model and the Developed FE model of the football. The basic model considered the ball as a spherical shell with isotropic material properties. The developed model also used isotropic material properties but included an additional stiffer stitching seam region. Manufacturers are experimenting with microchips and even cameras embedded inside
897-416: The football. Modern footballs are more complex than past footballs. Most footballs consist of twelve regular pentagonal and twenty regular hexagonal panels positioned in a truncated icosahedron spherical geometry. Some premium-grade 32-panel balls use non-regular polygons to give a closer approximation to sphericality. The inside of the football is made up of a latex or butyl rubber bladder which enables
936-476: The football. Charles Goodyear's innovation increased the bounce ability of the ball and made it easier to kick. Most balls of this time had tanned leather with eighteen sections stitched together. These were arranged in six panels of three strips each. During the 1900s, footballs were made out of leather with a lace of the same material (known as tiento in Spanish) used to stitch the panels. Although leather
975-442: The hands of Australia , said, "We played with an impossible ball and we need to get used to it." Argentina forward Lionel Messi stated, "The ball is very complicated for the goalkeepers and for us [forwards]." Argentine 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
1014-721: The hosts from local suppliers. Records indicate a variety of models being used within individual tournaments and even, on some occasions, individual games. Over time, FIFA took more control over the choice of ball used. Since 1970 Adidas have supplied official match balls (all of which were made in Sialkot , Pakistan ) for every tournament. The most up-to-date balls used in various club football competitions as of 2024–25 season are: Adidas Finale Munich (UCL) Adidas Finale Lisbon (UWCL) Nike Flight Malaysia Cup Malaysia FA Cup MFL Cup Piala Sumbangsih The association football symbol ( U+ 26BD ⚽ SOCCER BALL )
1053-539: The league's colours of blue and green. In Europe domestic leagues, it was used in the 2010–11 Bundesliga in the league signature colours of red and white, known as the " Torfabrik " ("Goal Factory"), and in the 2010–11 Primeira Liga , coloured in white. UEFA used the ball in the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Europa League with respective official match ball colours and design. Even more than
1092-469: The match and turf including training footballs, match footballs, professional match footballs, beach footballs, street footballs, indoor footballs, turf balls, futsal footballs and mini/skills footballs. Many companies throughout the world produce footballs. The earliest balls were made by local suppliers where the game was played. It is estimated that 40% of all footballs are made in Sialkot , Pakistan with other major producers being China and India. As
1131-432: The material used to create them. Footballs have dramatically changed over time. During medieval times balls were normally made from an outer shell of leather filled with cork shavings. Another method of creating a ball was using animal bladders to make it inflatable inside. However, these two styles of footballs were easy to puncture and were inadequate for kicking. It was not until the 19th century that footballs developed
1170-423: 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, former Liverpool 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
1209-403: The performance of the Jabulani design against the predecessor 2006 design which had also received criticism of its behaviour in flight. In discussing the mechanics of the balls Rabi Mehta, an aerospace engineer at NASA Ames, described the unpredictable behaviour as "a knuckle-ball effect". He explained that when a seamed ball is struck with little spin it experiences asymmetrical air flow effects as
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1248-525: The tournament proceeds. On 27 June 2010, FIFA acknowledged concerns about the ball, but also said that they would not act on the problem until after the tournament. According to secretary general Jérôme Valcke , FIFA will discuss the matter with coaches and teams after the World Cup, then meet with the manufacturer Adidas. NASA scientists at the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California tested
1287-459: 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
1326-461: The use of the ball, as 11 different colours were used; representing the 11 starting players in a football squad, the 11 official languages of South Africa , and the 11 South African communities. The Jabulani Angola , used at the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola , was coloured to represent the yellow, red and black of the host nation's flag . An orange version is available for winter games and
1365-530: The year 1863, the first specifications for footballs were set by the Football Association . Previous to this, footballs were made out of inflated animal bladder, with later leather coverings to help footballs maintain their shapes and sizes. In 1872, the specifications were revised and have been kept essentially unchanged by the International Football Association Board . Differences in footballs made since this rule came into effect have been with
1404-598: Was developed in 1962 by Eigil Nielsen , and technological research continues to develop footballs with improved performance. The 32-panel ball design was soon joined by 24-panel balls as well as 42-panel balls, both of which improved on performance prior to 2007. A black-and-white patterned spherical truncated icosahedron design, brought to prominence by the Adidas Telstar , has become a symbol of association football . Many different designs of balls exist, varying both in appearance and physical characteristics. In
1443-405: Was perfect for bouncing and kicking the ball, when heading the football (hitting it with the player's head) it was usually painful. This problem was most probably due to water absorption of the leather from rain, which caused a considerable increase in weight, causing head or neck injury. By around 2017, this had also been associated with dementia in former players. Another problem of early footballs
1482-594: Was that they deteriorated quickly, as the plastic used in manufacturing varied in thickness and in quality. The ball without the leather lace was developed and patented by Romano Polo, Antonio Tossolini and Juan Valbonesi in 1931 in Bell Ville , Córdoba Province, Argentina . This innovative ball (named Superball ) was adopted by the Argentine Football Association as the official ball for its competitions since 1932. The deformation of
1521-475: Was the second World Cup Final ball to be produced, the first time being the +Teamgeist Berlin for the 2006 FIFA World Cup . The balls were made in China, using latex bladders from India, thermoplastic polyurethane-elastomer from Taiwan , ethylene vinyl acetate, isotropic polyester/cotton fabric, glue and ink from China. It was announced on 4 December 2009 that the Jabulani was to be the official match ball of
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