Term used with water polo balls. Source:
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| - Term used with water polo balls. Source:
- The Jabulani was the controversial match ball chosen for the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Promoted by manufacturers Adidas as the roundest ball ever, the Jabulani proved to be about as reliable as a Soviet nuclear reactor. These days, tournament organizers are presented with thousands of designs, each iteration representing the current state of the art in Far Eastern sweatshop labour. The Jabulani was thus yet another factor contributing to the disappointment that was the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is now consigned to history along with plastic pitches as unsuitable for games of football.
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| - Term used with water polo balls. Source:
- The Jabulani was the controversial match ball chosen for the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Promoted by manufacturers Adidas as the roundest ball ever, the Jabulani proved to be about as reliable as a Soviet nuclear reactor. Back in the day (when men were men etc.) there was no design process in creating the centre piece of the beautiful game. Football was played with an inflated pigs bladder, covered in hard leather and stitched together with some old shoe laces. On a wet day, the ball could become so swollen and heavy that heading the thing would result in instant Alzheimer's and even a near-post flick-on from a corner severe concussion. These days, tournament organizers are presented with thousands of designs, each iteration representing the current state of the art in Far Eastern sweatshop labour. In order to create a balanced World Cup, where teams like New Zealand could draw with Italy, Adidas chose to make a ball that was extremely difficult to control and that would shift about eerily in mid-flight. While their intention was to create a ball that would encourage shooting from range, the actual effects were:
* All long passes became hopelessly inaccurate
* Most long shots flew wildly off target
* Lots of awful free kicks that looked like Rugby conversion attempts
* Straight shots at the goalkeeper suddenly switching direction at the last minute; making highly-skilled stoppers look like complete donuts when they appeared to dive out the way of the ball The Jabulani was thus yet another factor contributing to the disappointment that was the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is now consigned to history along with plastic pitches as unsuitable for games of football.
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