Most of Germany’s World Cup hopefuls are already practicing with the official matchball
Posted By Rob Parker on December 10, 2009
Germans get World Cup advantage
Fabio Capello is rumoured to be far from pleased after probable members of Germany’s World Cup squad got their hands (and feet) on the official matchball last weekend. Several players in Germany’s Bundesliga, where teams are allowed to choose who supplies their matchball, have already played with the Adidas Jabulani months before England’s players are likely to use it in a match.
German keeper Tim Wiese is already busy tracking the new ball’s flight when he plays at home for Werder Bremen, while Bayern Munich internationals including Philipp Lahm, Mario Gomez and Bastian Schweinsteiger will also use the Jabulani regularly.
All top-flight English clubs are tied into the Premier League’s contract with Nike, while the FA has a separate deal with Mitre for England internationals. That means it could be next summer before the England team uses the new ball in a match.
By that stage, clubs in Argentina and USA will also have tested the new ball.
Spotted on The Sun
It really does look rounder.