The last phase of the World Cup in Qatar will be played with a new ball, baptized Al Hilm (“the dream”)which is designed with shades of burgundy reminiscent of the Qatari flag, in replacement al-Rihla (“the viaje”)FIFA announced.
“Al Hilm will be the official ball of the semifinals, the game for third place and the final” scheduled for December 18 at the stadium in Lusailwrote the International Football Federation in a statement.
Predominantly white and dark red motifs, while its predecessor had blue and red borders marked with gold, Al Hilm It claims to be “the first World Cup semifinal and final ball made exclusively with water-based inks and glues.”
this new ball from the supplier Adidas will also be equipped with “semi-automated technology for the detection of offside” (SAOT), like its predecessor Al-Rihla: a sensor located in the center of the ball that must send data 500 times per second, determining the moment in which the game is being played much more precisely than the human eye could.
The Fifa introduced in this world the use of this technology, aimed at accelerating and improvingr arbitration decisions. La SAOT It must allow the position of the players and the ball to be established at all times, facilitating the detection of offsides without substituting the appreciation of the referees.
On the sporting level, the trajectory of the ball Al Rihla was deemed acceptable by Claudio Taffarel, coach of the goalkeepers of Brazil. “It’s not bad, but it’s not 100% functional,” the former goalkeeper of the 1994 world champion team declared at the end of November, before his team’s elimination in the quarterfinals against Croatia.
“It is somewhat reminiscent of Jabulani (2010 World Cup ball criticized for its unpredictable trajectory). But it is more positive than negative. There are not so many trajectory variations, the ball is good, ”he asserted.
Al Rihla and Al Hilm have success a “Telstar 18”, the ball of the 2018 World Cup in Russia; to “Brazuca”, in Brazil in 2014; and “Jabulani”, in South Africa 2010.
