Ball not to blame for Cup goalfest

Terry Baddoo is co-host of World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN International. He will regularly contribute Postcards from South Korea to CNNSI.com during the World Cup.

SEOUL -- If, as the old saying goes, there's no such thing as a bad goal, then this is shaping up into a great World Cup.

With 25 goals in the first eight matches, at an average of more than three per game, these finals are already on the way to surpassing France '98, where the average number of goals a game overall was 2.7.

Part of the reason for the goalfest, at least as far as the goalkeepers are concerned, is the ball.

State of the art in design, the Fevernova -- as ball manufacturers adidas have dubbed it -- is reportedly 25 percent more accurate and 10 percent faster when struck properly than was the ball used in France. The result, in a single word, is "power" -- though "unpredictability" has also been mentioned.

Swedish goalkeeper Magnus Hedman is among those to complain that shots he assumes will fly too high have been dipping in under the bar, fortunately only in training.

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Indeed, having been given the ball last December, none of the finalists have anything to complain about, as they should have learned to expect the unexpected.

Professional footballers will always complain, of course, claiming their finely tuned senses can detect differences mere mortals like us will miss. In answer to that however, FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper offered this anecdote, which I shall paraphrase.

A while ago, FIFA authorized the use of a special ball for an exhibition tournament. Afterward, the players complained it performed totally differently from any ball they'd ever encountered.

In fact, said Mr. Cooper, it was the same kind of ball they'd been playing with for months, the only difference being in the decorative design on the outer casing, which had no effect on its performance.

So, to those players who believe the ball being used at this World Cup has a will of its own, the message seems to be: "Think again." The Fevernova will do whatever you ask, provided you have the skill to make it happen.

 

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