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| ADIDAS Cracks Back At World Cup Ball Criticism |
The German based sports manufacture counters that the new ball has been widely tested and was approved long ago. In addition, a number of professional soccer organizations including the United States’ Major League Soccer (MLS) have been using the ball in league play. Despite its status as the official ball in a number of competitions, there’s been little or no criticism of it until recently. Company spokesman Thomas van Schaik tactfully danced around calling the recent complaints a form of pre-emptive excuse making in these comments: "We started using it in December in a wide variety of leagues. All the response we have had has been positive. On top of that, we have distributed it to all the finalists so that they have been able to get used to the ball. Apparently they have not taken advantage of that if we are only hearing this criticism now. I am quite surprised in these circumstances." Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar has been among the biggest whiners: “It’s terrible, horrible. It’s like one of those balls you buy in the supermarket.” Italian striker Luis Fabiano also voiced complaints: "It moves so much and makes it difficult to control. You jump up to head a cross and suddenly the ball will move and you miss it." Curiously, the nature of the criticism has changed over the past couple of weeks. The initial concern was that the ball would confound goalkeepers and result in more scoring. Now, field players are complaining that its difficulty to control will make for fewer goals. Adidas’ van Schaik suggested that there are some issues with playing at South Africa’s high altitude but not with the ball: "It does what every ball does at altitude and that really doesn't have anything to do with it. The different air pressure at altitude does make the ball move faster. We did have extensive testing with regard to altitude." "If you look back in history there have always been criticisms about the ball before the World Cup but not so much afterwards after you've seen great goals or great saves. The ball is much more accurate, making the best players in the world even better. If they kick the ball they want it to go where they are aiming for and even the goalkeepers get a better idea of where the ball is going." In the MLS, the ball has been largely a non-issue and there hasn’t been any measurable statistical difference—plus or minus—in scoring output. The most likely scenario is that once competition begins, talk about the ball will give way to discussion of the play—but the pre-tournament criticism of the ball could serve as a scapegoat for a top team eliminated early. 
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Soccer pundits like to joke that not only is the World Cup a quadrennial event, but so are players complaining about the latest technology in the official Adidas ball. 2010 is no exception—ever since Adidas released their new ‘Jabulani’ official World Cup a growing number of soccer players have griped about any number of its traits. Some suggest it’s difficult to control, others say it’s a knuckleballing nightmare for goal keepers. Now Adidas is responding vociferously to the nature and timing of the players’ criticisms.
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