THE BALL

For me it's too light and too bouncy.
Loads of overhit crosses.
Shed loads of long range shots that just won't come down.

when the goalie can reach the opposing pen area from two steps speaks volumes for me

you can safely bet it will never be used again in any major tournament

I dont know what all the fuss is about,its round innit!

the idea of scoring a goal by good teamwork and intricate passing has been sacrificed to the alter of 'the further out it is scored from then the better it must be'.

Why do they always introduce a "new and improved ball" every World Cup? They are always sh1te, like 99p beachballs from a Shell garage. Why not just use tried and tested balls?

Ruining the tournament imo.

Ridiculous number of long cross-field passes flying over the head of the intended target & into touch. Can't believe they were all overhit.

Bring back heavy brown leather with thick laces asap.

england 2018 bid they are experimenting with a shoot 5.

Dont think ANY free kick attempt has even been near a goal yet, so they may have shot themselves in the foot with this change.

Overs backers six nil down so far.............

spot on az

..but it's all about money in Septic Bladder's pocket....new ball...everyone thinks they have to but it.

'buy' it

The ball is ruining the games. Every long pass or cross is being over hit. No free kick scored from distance yet and very few even close. Its ruining the games. FIFA as usual only after money. Why not just play with the ball they are all used to. Its supposed to be a celebration of the worlds best footballers not about the ball. This will be the worst world cup ever due to the ball.

the bounce means that the ball is very hard to 'kill' dead - it continuously reaches players at a height that makes it hard to control and vital fractions of a second are lost and the man is closed down.

It is the same for all - but it doesn't allow controlled flowing football to occur...the advantage is always to the man closing down, never to the man with the ball.

African memebers of FIFA seeking to get ball replaced with a chicken head

sepp blatters head?  t'would be his greatest contribution to football by far!

Things are looking up - the ball clearly thought about dipping during one of Algerias free kicks.

Will suit Spains short passing game imo, no long balls from them

The only thing that will be dipping is the total goals market..........

I can see them changing it for the round of 16.

The bounce is ridiculous - see how it's caught out the keepers.

Kingson a couple of mins ago - the ball bounced about a foot higher than he was anticipating and hit him in the chest.


Algerian keeper for the goal - it bounced up and went through him.

Is it the ball, or is it playing at high altitude?  Thin air - ball travels further.

It's ruining the tournament. Nobody can even play a simple cross field ball to spread the play without it bouncing 10 feet in the air for a throw in.

and any ball played through / over the top just runs straight to the keeper / for a goal kick.

this world cup is an absolute shambles

It seems to be happening in all games no matter the altitude.

Double whammy: the aerodynamic ridges on the new ball keep it in the air longer; the altitude keeps it in the air longer.

How about a lump of lead inside it to give it an unpredictable, eccentric flight.  The goalkeepers might complain, but then they complain about a ball that keeps perfectly straight.

Did anyone believe Rob Greene that the ball deviated as it reached him?  Could it be that he was sideways on to the ball and didn't get behind it properly?  That couldn't be true because he is a professional.

Its rubbish innit. Pity, ruining the WC.