World Cup ball gets Empa’s stamp of approval
30/05/2018
The group has been carrying out tests on footballs on behalf of FIFA for 22 years. They take place at Empa’s headquarters in St. Gallen, Switzerland, having been specially developed by the company.
To get Empa’s ‘stamp of approval’, a ball must pass what the organisation describes as an “incorruptible series of tests”.
This includes being crushed 250 times in a water tank, during which it must absorb a minimal amount of water and retain its air. To prove that the ball is a perfect sphere, it is measured at more than 4,000 points. It must also retain its shape when shot against a steel wall at 50 kilometres per hour 2,000 times.
Empa has also addressed some criticism of the Telstar 18 from players who have used it in test matches.
“Impressions are subjective,” said Martin Camenzind, from Empa’s Laboratory for Biomimetic Membranes and Textiles. “We rely on objective parameters to characterise the Telstar 18.”
One point of criticism from a number of international goalkeepers has been that the Telstar 18 appears to be “fluttering” during flight, a claim Mr Camenzind rejects. He says the ball's appearance, which consists of irregular elements with asymmetrical prints, can give this impression under certain lighting conditions.
“In a study with a computer-controlled foot, we were able to show that balls accused of fluttering flight behaviour behaved by no means like this in experiments under defined conditions,” he added.
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