Russian World Cup match ball ‘Telstar 18’ criticized by goalies

Russian World Cup match ball ‘Telstar 18’ criticized by goalies. March. 26, 2018 07:56. by Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com.
World famous goalies have criticized the 2018 World Cup official match ball “Adidas Telstar 18,” saying it is difficult for them to tell the distance (from the ball).

Adidas, a world leading sports brand and official sponsor of football's world governing body FIFA, upgraded the “original” Telstar, the official game ball of the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, and unveiled the Telstar 18 for the first time late last year.

“I expected at least 35 goals will be scored through mid- to long-distance shots alone in the Russian World Cup because it is difficult for us to tell the distance from the ball,” goalie Pepe Reina of the Spanish national team told an interview with the Spanish daily AS. “Since the Telstar 18 is coated with film on the surface, it is difficult to hold it tight. It is a ball that is very problematic to goalies. There are many elements with the ball that need to be improved.”

Past official World Cup match balls were welcomed by strikers because their makers would design the balls to generate lots of goals. However, goalies often criticized them. The same holds true with the new official ball for this year’s event.