| By :
Soophott Lert
It is unlikely that we will see the captains of the teams arguing over the ball of the World Cup 2010 final before the kick off of the game. However, at the 1st Cup final in 1930, the ball used was indeed a matter of controversy between the two competing teams at the time (Argentina and Uruguay) who could not agree what ball to use. In the end, a compromise was made with a ball of the Argentinean team used in the first half and the ball of Uruguay for the second half. No one can say for certainty that the ball influences the outcome of a game. However, we cannot notice that Argentina was leading 2-1 at half time when using its ball, while Uruguay won the match 4-2 playing the second half with its ball. Soccer has come a long way since that time and the balls have improved significantly. From the brown leather balls with the laces, used during the early Cup days to the modern Jabulani, the ball of World Cup 2010. It is the 11nth ball created by the same sport company although it doesn't seem to be the most welcomed one so far. The balls of World Cups
The first ball in a world cup to use a design of thirty two hexagonal panels, hand stitched, was the Telstar ball used during the Cup in Mexico 1970. The ball was made of leather but for the first time it was white featuring black panels that made it more visible on the black and white television sets used at the time. The ball used later was named Tango and it was the one that formed the blueprint for the next five World Cup balls, with twenty panels that give the impression of 12 identical circles. The name remained the same for the World cup in Spain 1982 but the new one was the first ball with a water resistant quality due to the rubber inlaid. The first non leather ball of the World Cup appeared little later in Mexico 1986, and it was a water resistant and polyurethane coated ball. Further development came later with the Etrusco 2000, the Questra 2004 and the Teamgeist in Germany 2006. The Teamgeist was received with negative feelings by the goalkeepers, because it had just fourteen panels making its surface smoother than a regular ball, and so, they claimed that it could swerve unpredictably. The Jabulani Ball of World Cup 2010 is even worse, featuring even less panels, but it comes with a special grip n groove feeling that makes it very stable. The manufacturer claimes it is the most round and accurate ball ever used in soccer. The Jabulani Ball of World Cup 2010 - which translates to celebrate in isiZulu - is meant to accentuate the characteristics of South Africa. There are eleven colors in all, a number that represents the 11 players playing in each team, the 11 languages that are spoken in South Africa and the 11 different communities that reside in this multi-ethnic country. Is it going to capture the hearts of the players? We will see about that.
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