The last phase of the World Cup in Qatar will be played with a new ball named Al Hilm (“The Dream”), in the white and burgundy-red colors reminiscent of the Qatari flag, replacing the Al Rihla (“The Journey”) FIFA announced this Sunday (11).
“Al Hilm will be the official match ball for the semi-finals, the third-place game and the final” scheduled for December 18 at the Lusail stadium, the International Football Federation said in a statement.
Predominantly white and motifs in shades of dark red, while its predecessor had blue and red edges marked with gold, the Al Hilm aims to be “the first World Cup semi-final and final ball made exclusively with paints and glues based on Water”.
This new ball from supplier Adidas will also be equipped with “semi-automatic offside technology”, like its predecessor Al Rihla: a sensor located in the center of the ball that should send data 500 times per second, determining the moment it is played with much more precision. than a human eye could make it.
FIFA introduced the use of this technology in this World Cup, with the aim of streamlining and improving refereeing decisions. The system allows the position of the players and the ball to be established at all times, making it easier to detect offsides without overriding the judges’ judgment.
On a sporting level, the trajectory of the ball by Al Rihla was considered acceptable by Cláudio Taffarel, goalkeeping coach for the Brazilian national team. “It’s not bad, but it doesn’t work 100%,” said the former goalkeeper for the 1994 World Cup winners in late November, ahead of Brazil’s quarter-final exit against Croatia.
“I brought that memory of Jabulani (from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, criticized for its unpredictable trajectory). It hits and goes up fast. But it’s more positive than negative. It doesn’t have so many variations in trajectory. The ball is good”, he said. Taffarel.
Al Rihla and Al Hilm are successors to the Telstar 18, used at the 2018 World Cup in Russia; Brazuca, in Brazil in 2014; and Jabulani.
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