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FIFA on Friday announced that adidas has unveiled the official match ball of the Club World Cup, which will be played in the United States this summer.
FIFA on Friday announced that adidas has unveiled the official match ball of the Club World Cup, which will be played in the United States this summer.
The organization also said that adidas would be official supplier of the tournament.
According to a FIFA press release, the ball’s design “pays homage to the host nation, the United States, incorporating bold graphics and emblems that celebrate and reflect the country’s heritage. Set against a pearlescent background, the match ball showcases striking jagged-edged block patterns and deconstructed stars and stripes in red, white and blue in a nod to the nation’s flag.”
FIFA said that the ball also was engineered to provide greater in-game accuracy thanks to PRECISIONSHELL – a 20-piece panel shape with strategically placed debossed grooves on the ball’s outer shell.
The integrated connected ball technology sends inertial measurement unit data to the Video Assistant Referee system at a rate of 500 times per second in real time. When combined with player position data and the application of artificial intelligence, the technology is expected to help video match officials to make faster offside decisions, FIFA said. It also can aid officials in identifying each individual touch of the ball, resulting in reduced delays in resolving specific incidents, such as possible handball offenses.
Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 28 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.

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