With yesterday's difficult draw, the Italian national football team has qualified for the final phase of the next European championships, which will be held in Germany. A "return to the future" for the Azzurri: the return is to the country that gave us the last World Cup. And the future?
It is brought by the new official ball just presented by the Germans Adidas, the FUSSBALLLIEBE (literally “Love for Football”). A bastion of technology and design that promises to revolutionize the way the game is played and perceived, representing a perfect combination of innovation and football tradition.
Innovation at the heart of football
The technology at the heart of FUSSBALLLIEBE innovation is a true technical masterpiece. Developed in collaboration with Kinexon, this technology includes a sensor of IMU motion at 500Hz, strategically positioned in the center of the ball. This feature allows detailed, real-time analysis of every aspect of the ball's movement, an absolute novelty in the history of football.
The integration with UEFA's semi-automated offside technology marks a notable advancement in match adjudication, improving the speed and accuracy of in-game decisions. In the future he will be able to report if in a penalty action he was touched by a defender, or if the latter missed him by hitting the opponent's leg instead. The ball, in other words, will become a "branch" of the refereeing staff.
A triumph of engineering and design
Not just smart, FUSSBALLLIEBE is also a precision engineering product. Its 20-panel construction, called PRECISIONSHELL, is enhanced by strategically placed debossed grooves to control airflow and maximize precision. The CTR-CORE inside the ball further supports this precision, ensuring accurate and consistent playability, while maintaining shape and air retention.
From an aesthetic point of view there are minor innovations. I'll rephrase that, it seems like many other balls to me. The design, featuring black wing shapes with colored edges, curves and dots, captures the movement of the ball and the energy of football. The inclusion of the names of the tournament stadiums and host cities adds a personal touch to this edition of the ball, making it a collector's item as well as an advanced sporting tool.
Sustainability and innovation
Another important factor for FUSSBALLLIEBE concerns the great global theme of sustainability. The balloon is made from organic materials such as corn fibers, sugar cane, wood pulp and rubber (combined with recycled polyester and water-based ink). It is currently, as Adidas say, the "greenest" official ball ever.
As Spalletti and his crew prepare for the kick-off of EURO 2024, it becomes clear that the future of football is as much about innovation and technology as it is about the game itself. From Adidas' high-tech ball that collects data in real time, to experiments like the "airless" balloon of the Japanese company Nendo, these innovations will end up changing football. Hoping to make it a fairer, more precise and immersive gaming experience, and not a video game.
