Adidas Jabulani
Encyclopedia
The Jabulani is an Association football ball manufactured by Adidas
. It was the official match ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
.
The ball is made from eight spherically molded panels and has a textured surface intended to improve aerodynamics. Nevertheless, the ball received extensive criticism from players and coaches before and during the World Cup who said that the path of the ball through the air was unpredictable.
(EVA) and thermoplastic polyurethanes
(TPU). The surface of the ball was textured with grooves, a technology developed by Adidas called "Grip 'n' Groove" that is 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.
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 a yellow version for indoor games.
, using latex bladders from India, thermoplastic polyurethane-elastomer from Taiwan
, ethylene vinyl acetate, isotropic polyester/cotton fabric, glue, and ink from China.
held in South Africa
. The word "jabulani" means "celebrate" in Zulu
. A gold colour version, called the Jo'bulani, was used for the World Cup final. This name is a reference to "Jo'burg", a common nickname for Johannesburg
, the match venue. The gold colouring of the ball mirrors the colour of the FIFA World Cup Trophy and also echoes another of Johannesburg's nicknames: "the City of Gold". The Jo'bulani ball was the second World Cup Final ball to be produced, the first time being the +Teamgeist Berlin for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
.
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 colours of blue and green and will be 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 Portuguese Liga
coloured in white. UEFA
uses the ball in the UEFA Super Cup
and the UEFA Europa League with respective official match ball colours and design.
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
("it is very sad that a competition so important as the world championship will be played with such an horrible ball.").
Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon
said, "The new model is absolutely inadequate and I think it's shameful letting play such an important competition, where 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 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.
Many football fans questioned why an African made ball wasn't chosen for an African World Cup, such as those by the non for profit African manufacturer, Alive & Kicking
.
said, "For me, contact with 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." Many of these players actually performed well in the World Cup.
Adidas has said that the ball had been used since January 2010, and that most feedback from gamers 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 the tournament proceeds.
". Older designs of the ball have a knuckle speed of around 30 miles per hour (13.4 m/s). NASA scientists at the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, concluded that the Jabulani, with its relatively smoother surface, starts to knuckle at a higher speed of 45 mile per hour. This coincides with the typical speed of a ball following a free-kick around the goal area making the effect more visible.
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
. It was the official match ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
The ball is made from eight spherically molded panels and has a textured surface intended to improve aerodynamics. Nevertheless, the ball received extensive criticism from players and coaches before and during the World Cup who said that the path of the ball through the air was unpredictable.
Design
The ball was constructed consisting of 8 (down from 14 in the 2006 World Cup) hand sewn, three-dimensional panels. These then are spherically molded from ethylene-vinyl acetateEthylene-vinyl acetate
Ethylene vinyl acetate is the copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. The weight percent vinyl acetate usually varies from 10 to 40%, with the remainder being ethylene....
(EVA) and thermoplastic polyurethanes
Thermoplastic polyurethanes
Thermoplastic polyurethanes are a class of polyurethane plastics with many useful properties, including elasticity, transparency, and resistance to oil, grease and abrasion...
(TPU). The surface of the ball was textured with grooves, a technology developed by Adidas called "Grip 'n' Groove" that is intended to improve the ball's aerodynamics. The design has received considerable academic input, being developed in partnership with researchers from Loughborough University
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
, United Kingdom.
Technical specification
| FIFA Approved standard | Jabulani measurements | |
|---|---|---|
| Circumference Circumference The circumference is the distance around a closed curve. Circumference is a special perimeter.-Circumference of a circle:The circumference of a circle is the length around it.... |
68.5–69.5 cm | 69.0 ± 0.2 cm |
| Diameter Diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle... |
≤ 1.5% difference | ≤ 1.0% difference |
| Water absorption | ≤ 10% weight increase | ~ 0% weight increase |
| Weight | 420 - 445 g Gram The gram is a metric system unit of mass.... |
440 ± 0.2 g |
| Rebound test | ≤ 10 cm | ≤ 6 cm |
| Loss of pressure | ≤ 20% | ≤ 10% |
Colouring
The ball had four triangular design elements on a white background. The number 11 was prominent in the use of the ball, as 11 different colours were used, representing the 11 players on a starting football squad, the 11 official languages of South Africa, and the 11 South African communities. In addition, the tournament opened on June 11 and ended July 11 as well.The Jabulani Angola, used at the 2010 African Cup of Nations
2010 African Cup of Nations
The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa...
in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, was coloured to represent the yellow, red, and black of the host nation's flag
Flag of Angola
The national flag of Angola came into use at independence on November 11, 1975. It is split horizontally into an upper red half and a lower black half.As in some other African countries, this flag is a modification of the ruling party's flag...
. An orange version is available for winter games and a yellow version for indoor games.
Manufacturing
The balls are made in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, using latex bladders from India, thermoplastic polyurethane-elastomer from Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, ethylene vinyl acetate, isotropic polyester/cotton fabric, glue, and ink from China.
Appearances
It was announced on December 4, 2009 that the Jabulani was to be the official matchball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
held in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The word "jabulani" means "celebrate" in Zulu
Zulu language
Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...
. A gold colour version, called the Jo'bulani, was used for the World Cup final. This name is a reference to "Jo'burg", a common nickname for Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, the match venue. The gold colouring of the ball mirrors the colour of the FIFA World Cup Trophy and also echoes another of Johannesburg's nicknames: "the City of Gold". The Jo'bulani ball was the second World Cup Final ball to be produced, the first time being the +Teamgeist Berlin for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
.
The ball was also used as the match ball for the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup
2009 FIFA Club World Cup
-Play-off for Quarter-finals:-Quarter-finals:-----Semi-finals:-----Match for fifth place:-Match for third place:-Final:-Scorers:4 goals Denilson...
in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, and a special version of the ball, the Jabulani Angola, was the match ball of the 2010 African Cup of Nations
2010 African Cup of Nations
The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa...
. This ball was also used in the 2010 Clausura Tournament of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
as well as the 2010 MLS season in the USA and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the league's colours of blue and green and will be used in the 2010–11 Bundesliga
2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga
The 2010–11 Fußball-Bundesliga was the 48th season of the Fußball-Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. The season started on the weekend of 21 August 2010 with the traditional season opening match involving the defending champions and ended with the last games on 14 May 2011. The winter...
in the league signature colours of red and white, known as the "Torfabrik" ("Goal Factory"), and in the 2010–11 Portuguese Liga
2010–11 Portuguese Liga
The 2010–11 Primeira Liga season was the 77th season of top-tier football in Portugal. It began on 15 August 2010 and ended on 14 May 2011. A total of 16 teams contested the league, 14 of which already contested in the 2009–10 and two of which were promoted from the Liga de Honra. Benfica were the...
coloured in white. UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
uses the ball in the UEFA Super Cup
2010 UEFA Super Cup
The 2010 UEFA Super Cup was the 35th UEFA Super Cup organised by the European football governing body UEFA. It took place at the Stade Louis II in Monaco on 27 August 2010. It was contested by Internazionale, who won the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League, and Atlético Madrid, who won the 2009–10 UEFA...
and the UEFA Europa League with respective official match ball colours and design.
Criticism
As with the Fevernova and Teamgeist at the two previous tournaments, the ball has received pre-tournament criticism. Brazil goalkeeper Júlio CésarJúlio César Soares Espíndola
Júlio César Soares de Espíndola , commonly known as simply Júlio César, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Internazionale of the Italian Serie A...
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
Íker Casillas
Iker Casillas Fernández is a Spanish football goalkeeper who plays for the Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, being the captain of both...
("it is very sad that a competition so important as the world championship will be played with such an horrible ball.").
Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts to be one of most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history...
said, "The new model is absolutely inadequate and I think it's shameful letting play such an important competition, where a lot of champions take part, with a ball like this" while Brazilian striker Luís Fabiano
Luís Fabiano
Luís Fabiano Clemente , commonly known as Luís Fabiano, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for São Paulo and the Brazilian national football team as a striker.-Early career:...
called the ball "supernatural," as it unpredictably changed direction when traveling through the air. Brazilian striker Robinho
Robinho
Robson de Souza , more commonly known as Robinho, is a Brazilian professional footballer who currently plays as second striker and winger for Serie A club AC Milan...
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
Joe Hart
Charles Joseph John "Joe" Hart is an English football goalkeeper who plays for Premier League club Manchester City and the England national football team and was previously a regular for the England under-21 team....
of England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, 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
David James (footballer)
David Benjamin James is an English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bristol City.On 14 February 2009, he achieved the all-time Premier League appearance record with 536 appearances, overtaking Gary Speed. He held this record until being overtaken by Ryan Giggs on the 14th May 2011...
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
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
.
Denmark coach Morten Olsen
Morten Olsen
Morten Per Olsen is a Danish football manager and former football player. He has been the head coach of the Danish national team since 2000, guiding Denmark to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 2004 European Championship and 2010 FIFA World Cup...
, 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
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
striker Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
stated, "The ball is very complicated for the goalkeepers and for us [strikers]." Argentinian coach Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
said, "We won't see any long passes in this world cup because the ball doesn't fly straight".
American Clint Dempsey
Clint Dempsey
Clinton Drew "Clint" Dempsey is an American soccer player who plays for Fulham and the United States national team. Dempsey usually plays as either an attacking midfielder, or a striker....
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
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
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
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
's 7–0 victory over North Korea
Korea DPR national football team
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea national football team represents the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in international association football and is controlled by the DPR Korea Football Association, the governing body for football in North Korea.North Korea surprised with a...
in the second round of the group stage, however, Portugal's coach Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester...
said, "We love the ball."
In July 2010, ex-Liverpool FC footballer Craig Johnston
Craig Johnston
Craig Johnston is a former football player who was one of the first Australians to make a major impact in the English game. He is remembered for his time spent with Liverpool throughout the 1980s...
wrote a 12-page open letter to FIFA president Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
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.
Many football fans questioned why an African made ball wasn't chosen for an African World Cup, such as those by the non for profit African manufacturer, Alive & Kicking
Alive & Kicking (social enterprise)
Alive & Kicking is an African social enterprise that manufactures sports balls to provide balls for children, create jobs for adults and promote health education through sport. In 2009, it was featured in Bloomberg BusinessWeek as one of the top 3 products that 'might change the world'...
.
Response from Adidas
A number of Adidas-sponsored players have responded favourably to the ball. Álvaro Arbeloa, commented that, "It's round, like always." Brazilian midfielder KakáKaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...
said, "For me, contact with the ball is all-important, and that's just great with this ball." English midfielder Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
called it "A very strong ball, true to hit." German midfielder Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern...
said it was "Fantastic; the ball does exactly what I want it to." Many of these players actually performed well in the World Cup.
Adidas has said that the ball had been used since January 2010, and that most feedback from gamers 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 the tournament proceeds.
Response from FIFA
On June 27, 2010, FIFA acknowledged concerns about the ball, but also said that they won't act on the problem until after the tournament. According to secretary general Jerome Valcke, FIFA will discuss the matter with coaches and teams after the World Cup, then meet with the manufacturer Adidas.NASA study
When a relatively smooth ball with seams flies through the air without much spin, the air close to the surface is affected by the seams, producing an asymmetric flow. This asymmetry creates side forces that can suddenly push the ball in one direction and cause volatile swerves and swoops and this effect is referred to as "knucklingKnuckleball
A knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction—and even...
". Older designs of the ball have a knuckle speed of around 30 miles per hour (13.4 m/s). NASA scientists at the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, concluded that the Jabulani, with its relatively smoother surface, starts to knuckle at a higher speed of 45 mile per hour. This coincides with the typical speed of a ball following a free-kick around the goal area making the effect more visible.