World Cup

[dieseltaylor]

I thought perhaps might get some mentions so ...

Anyway I am a bit apprehensive about introducing a new type of ball for the World Cup - and apparently a VERY different ball:

Professor Derek Leinweber has been studying soccer balls. He’s interested in the physics behind them, and is particularly intrigued by the design of the official ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, the Adidas Jabulani. He thinks it will behave in a much different fashion than the previous World Cup ball, throwing goalkeepers for a loop - all because of the ridges on its skin.

Governing body FIFA has strict regulations on the size and weight of balls, but none regarding their outside surface. This means that the skin is where Adidas has been concentrating its efforts at making better soccer balls. The Jabulani’s “grip’n’groove” ridges are designed both for improved grip, and for better control. Leinweber, who heads the School of Chemistry and Physics at the University of Adelaide in Australia, believes that they will create turbulence around the ball, resulting in longer flights. Given that it is also a relatively small, heavy ball (within FIFA guidelines), it should make for faster, harder play.

Adidas’ previous World Cup ball, the Teamgeist, had a freakishly smooth skin. This apparently caused it to bend more than a conventional ball, and to drop more rapidly at the end of its trajectory. Ironically, the Jabulani should also prove to be a bender, perhaps more so than anything that has come before it.

[Affentitten]

I am personally shocked that we have a FIFA world cup where the teams are complaining about the design of the ball. :eek:

[Elmar Bijlsma]

Indeed. T'was ever thus.

[Lt Belenko]

Shouldn't matter much. Its effects should even out with both sides using the same ball.

[Kanonier Reichmann]

Shouldn't matter much. Its effects should even out with both sides using the same ball.

That's based on the assumption that no teams have had the opportunity to practise extensively with the new Adidas soccer ball. I'm wondering whether the home team might have had just such an opportunity?

Regards

KR

[dieseltaylor]

Home team being Germany.

[Affentitten]

Like it's going to matter how much South Africa practice? The lowest ranked team in the world cup by a long shot.

[dieseltaylor]

Adidas being German and all.

[dieseltaylor]

Listening today to the radio I was hearing about the mental maths Olympics in Germany

1. 5 minutes of 8*8 multiplication

2. Calender calculations - one minute. So you get a date say 21/2/1719 etc and you need to give the right day. The winner did 47 in the 60 seconds

3. Quad and quintuple roots of 4 digit numbers

The overall winner from the 36 competitors was an eleven year old girl from Gujurat

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/more_or_less/default.stm

[daisy]

Well all of South Africas practicing certainly helped them to score the first goal of the 2010 World Cup ! Might i add against a far superior and better ranked team.

Must be because FIFA gave us the bloody ball before the time eh ??

And no, afaik SA is NOT the lowest ranked team, i believe that honour goes to the North Koreans, by a long shot.

I wish all of you could have seen the enthusiasm and the happiness on our faces yesterday.

The World Cup is here, not THERE get over yourselves.

[WineCape]

Like it's going to matter how much South Africa practice? The lowest ranked team in the world cup by a long shot.

AFAIK, 2nd lowest just before the World Cup, North Korea being given now that dubious honour.

Given that South Africa drew last night 1-1 with Mexico, rated 17th according to FIFA, a good result as any given our poor performance in the 1st half, I'm just wondering really how much the blowings horns ("vuvuzelas") can help our cause.

All World Cup teams received their Jabulani Adidas balls more then 9 weeks before the tournament started. There were a small minority of player grumbles then, but not nearly as much as now, a few days before kick-off, when reports started surfacing of a growing discontent among some players.

Regards,

[Elmar Bijlsma]

Are South Africans at all aware how annoying the Vuvuzelas are?

Also, South Africa is the lowest ranked nation. Yes, technically the DPRK is lower. But they have nukes and are batpoop crazy. Thus they gain a higher effective ranking on the "Let the Wookiee win" principle.

[WineCape]

Are South Africans at all aware how annoying the Vuvuzelas are?

That's the point

Also, South Africa is the lowest ranked nation. Yes, technically the DPRK is lower. But they have nukes and are batpoop crazy. Thus they gain a higher effective ranking on the "Let the Wookiee win" principle.

FYI, we have been a nuke nation since the 1980's, courtesy of the Israeli's.

But yeah, whether we currently as wookie as the DPRK ..... I will give you that.

[Elmar Bijlsma]

SA gave up it's nukes, didn't they?

But really, the Vuvuzelas are too retarded for words. The continual blaring of these horns is detrimental to atmosphere. Occasionally, when a game moment warrants it, sure, knock yourselves out. But the godawful mindless continually tooting masses should just contract lipcancer.

[WineCape]

SA gave up it's nukes, didn't they?

That's the "official" line ....

But really, the Vuvuzelas are too retarded for words. The continual blaring of these horns is detrimental to atmosphere. Occasionally, when a game moment warrants it, sure, knock yourselves out. But the godawful mindless continually tooting masses should just contract lipcancer.

I don't disagree with you there!

[gautrek]

I hate the bloody things with a vengeance.I even popped out at half time in the england game to spray some more paint on some bike bits and some tosser who lives near to me has got one and was trying to blow it.

AAARRRGGGHHHHH.

OH and PS weren't England as **** as we thought they would be.New coach,new ideas,new team spirit and same old **** England.I see a quarter final exit beckoning

[Stalins Organ]

Oh to make the quarter finals............what with New Zealand being the 3rd lowerst ranked team, never been anywhere near a nuke (except those French ones at Muroroa and the occasional visiting US warships until 1984), having no wookie factor at all, and not being allowed to blow our own haka!

[dieseltaylor]

England remain highly consistent. : (

[REVS]

Well, I'm thrilled with how the World Cup is going for Australia. A good 4-0 thrashing first up - perfect! The sooner we can relegate Soccer to being a minor sport in Australia, where it belongs, the better.

And I knew I could rely on England – the Greg Norman of soccer!

[Affentitten]

I wouldn't call it it a thrashing so much as a textbook lesson on the difference between a 1st division team and a 3rd division team over-hyped by its own local media.

[hoolaman]

Well, I'm thrilled with how the World Cup is going for Australia. A good 4-0 thrashing first up - perfect! The sooner we can relegate Soccer to being a minor sport in Australia, where it belongs, the better.

+1

A lot of bandwagon jumping going on. I'd rather watch a dozen games of AFL than 1 game of soccer, and being a queenslander I don't really like AFL much either.

At least a draw in AFL might be 76 points each instead of nil-nil. I don't understand how anyone enjoys watching a whole game of anything without anybody scoring a single point.

[Affentitten]

For anyone who would like to re-live some highlights of the last World Cup

Girls of the World Cup

[Affentitten]

And well done to the All Whites last night. A pretty historic goal. The looks on the Slovakian team's faces said it all.

[Stalins Organ]

Yep - that's probably as much as we can hope for - getting more points is even less likely.....but a couple more goals as we bow out would be great. Another point (or 3!) would be the upset of the tournament!

Perhaps we don't need a wookie factor - a woolly one might be enough! :)

[Elmar Bijlsma]

That result wasn't so much "Let the Wookiee win" but more "Use the Force Luke, use the Force."