Thumbs-up for new ball... but keepers hate it
THE official World Cup ball has been given the stamp of approval by scientists – but was shown the red card by some of the world’s top goalkeepers.
The new Adidas Telstar 18 was put through its paces at the Federal Laboratories in St Gallen, Switzerland.
Experts carried out several stringent tests before the ball was approved for the tournament.
These included shooting the ball 2,000 times against a steel plate at more than 30mph in a cage resembling a giant pinball-machine to ensure it retained its shape.
The ball was also dropped 10 times on to a steel plate from a height of 6.5ft to test for rebound.
The aim of the test was to ensure the ball was able to hold its air and always bounce up from the ground at the same height. The ball was also compressed 250 times into a bath to check it only absorbs a minimal amount of water.
The official matchball – priced at an eye-watering £129 – features six panels and a retro pixelated-style design which is a nod to the famous Telstar matchball that was used in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
It has a chip fitted inside that allows the user to download World Cup content onto their smartphone.
The test results were unveiled after criticism from goalkeepers, who questioned the ball’s “flight characteristics”.
Manchester United and Spain keeper David de Gea described the Telstar as “strange” after it was first used in a friendly between Spain and Germany.
Former Liverpool star Pepe Reina, his Spanish teammate, even called for it to be changed.
Germany’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen was also critical of the ball.
No English goalkeeper has yet played with it.
Laboratory technician Martin Camenzind was dismissive of claims that it “flutters” around.
He said: “Impressions are subjective.
“We rely on objective parameters to characterise the Telstar 18.”