St George’s Park, the official FIFA fan park in the city, was full of fans dribbling and playing football. And, some were kicking around the much-maligned Jabulani, the official World Cup ball for the 2010 tournament. Unlike the players, they seemed quite pleased with the ball, the name of which translates into “to celebrate” in Zulu.
Jorge, an Argentine from Cordoba, dressed in the colours of the Albiceleste, explained: “The Jabulani is a great ball. I picked it from an Adidas outlet here. It is light, moves well, and has a great curve in the air. I don’t know why the players complain about it.”
One of the reasons could be that the matches are played at the highest level, instead of those by fans that involve nothing much apart from light-hearted bonhomie. And altitude in South Africa has been a major factor. Miguel Garrodo, a 22-year-old student from Spain, said as much. “We play with friends, in small leagues. We don’t know what pressure is like when the stakes are high. It is natural the players blame the ball when they make mistakes,” he said.
Many goalkeepers, including David James, Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon, panned Jabulani. It was called ‘a beach ball, with a mind of its own’. It was even blamed for the gaffe by England’s Robert Green that gifted USA a goal in the 1-1 draw. Charlotte, wearing a white England jersey, said, “It was disgraceful what happened, the ball acted a bit crazy. But I wouldn’t blame it. It was a horrible performance by the team.”
{{/usCountry}}Many goalkeepers, including David James, Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon, panned Jabulani. It was called ‘a beach ball, with a mind of its own’. It was even blamed for the gaffe by England’s Robert Green that gifted USA a goal in the 1-1 draw. Charlotte, wearing a white England jersey, said, “It was disgraceful what happened, the ball acted a bit crazy. But I wouldn’t blame it. It was a horrible performance by the team.”
{{/usCountry}}The Jabulani does seem to be popular among the crowd. Mphasebe, manager of a local curio shop, said he sold almost 180 balls in two days.
Along with Frank Lampard’s disallowed phantom goal, Ghana’s unlucky quarterfinal exit, Wayne Rooney’s dismal show, the 2010 World Cup will also be remembered for the ball that courted so many controversies.