Ball saga continues
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Johannesburg - FIFA has acknowledged that there might be something wrong with the World Cup ball 'Jabulani', but add that they won't act on any problems until after the tournament.
"We're not deaf," FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said on Saturday. "FIFA is not unreceptive about what has been said about the ball."
Valcke said FIFA will discuss the matter with coaches and teams after the World Cup, then meet with manufacturer Adidas.
"There are rules for size and weight ... but the ball has to be perfect," he added.
Goalkeepers have complained about the ball at every recent World Cup, although this time forwards and even coaches have added their criticism.
Brazil coach Dunga got into a verbal spat with Valcke over Jabulani before the tournament, challenging the FIFA executive to come out onto the pitch and attempt controlling it.
Denmark defender Daniel Agger said the ball made some outfielders look like 'drunken sailors.'
"The balls have changed over the last couple of years. They have become a lot faster, and in addition to that in Johannesburg we are playing at an altitude of 1 700 meters, which makes the ball even faster," former Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn said.
"Thus, the goalkeepers work even harder, but I don't think that we can use the ball or the altitude as excuses."
Scoring was down by 16 goals in the first round compared to 2006: 117-101. However, teams played a more defensive style in the opening group stage in South Africa, so whether the ball is a major factor is difficult to measure.
Adidas has made the World Cup ball since 1970 and is contracted through 2014. The German company has defended Jabulani, saying it doesn't know what the fuss is about because all the qualified teams were given the ball before the tournament to test it.
"There's a lot of talk about stadiums, infrastructure and TV and that's nice and all, but first we've got to worry about balls, spikes and jerseys," Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said.
"I don't see why we can't just go back to the old black-and-white checkered version we all played with as kids."
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