Always, always beyond telling and highly incriminating when any given bureaucracy admits at last what most of us have figured out. Note this is the early Sunday morning report out of Australia as well as should hit North American media by tomorrow as well.
FIFA and South Africa won't live this down for sake of the lowest number of goals per game average EVER in the first round of the World Cup! Expect many such a ball to go on clearance after the World Cup. For most American fans for the ball rightly or wrongly it will be guilt by association with the ultimate result for Team USA with which most will not be happy this time given our higher potential not achieved.
[url=http://www.smh.com.au/world-cup-2010/world-cup-news/fifa-acknowledges-problems-with-jabulani-ball-20100626-zb6u.html]http://www.smh.com.au/world-cup-2010/wo ... -zb6u.html[/url]Also given some of the better performance in recent games I bet anything they let just a half pound per square inch air out of it.
For months including a whole lot the last two weeks I have been training myself with three different training balls I own including one that is slightly too heavy and the other slightly too light. Two of them I am certain fly better than that match-grade Jabulani on shots, for that Jabulani flies like the lightest and cheapest one I own.
Even as merely an amateur believe me it makes a massive difference to have even a half ounce too much either way in particular when you are kicking from farther out or going for the long ball.
Here is approximately what two of them I own look like for sake of comparison though mine are of slightly better quality with either the IMS or FIFA Inspected standards as these two approximations are not:
(Resembles The "El Cheapo" one I own)
[url=http://www.soccer.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=1&pcount=&Product_Id=459193]http://www.soccer.com/IWCatProductPage. ... _Id=459193[/url](Resembles the best one I own that is FIFA Inspected and NFHS approved and a match-grade amateur ball)
[url=http://www.soccer.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Ne=646&N=4294960224+368+4294958990&Product_Id=580668]http://www.soccer.com/IWCatProductPage. ... _Id=580668[/url]Also here's a match for the one I own that is on the heavy side but just a training ball:
[url=http://www.soccer.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Ne=646&N=4294960224+368+4294958885&Product_Id=484189]http://www.soccer.com/IWCatProductPage. ... _Id=484189[/url]Above all note these are not even near the more expensive top quality FIFA Approved balls as used in any professional or FIFA competition.