Colombo. Thursday 17 June 2010: The “Jabulani” balls and other exclusive merchandise of the current 2010 FIFA World Cup bring the excitement of the World Cup fever to local FIFA fans at all adidas Retail Stores in Sri Lanka.

Adding to the football spirit is also a 10% discount on FIFA merchandise during the ongoing World Cup season.

The name “Jabulani” originates from the Bantu language isiZulu, one of the eleven official languages of the Republic of South Africa, which is spoken by almost 25% of the population. Literally translated, “Jabulani” means - “to celebrate”. Football is a passion that unites the world. The name of the new match ball appropriately pays tribute to the passionate football celebration international fans are now enjoying in South Africa.

Eleven different colours are used in the adidas “Jabulani”, the eleventh adidas World Cup ball. These 11 colours represent the 11 players in every team, the 11 official languages of South Africa and the 11 South African tribes that make the country one of the most ethnologically diverse countries on the African continent. The colourful design brings together the tremendous diversity of the country in harmonious unity. The Four triangle-shaped design elements on a white background lend the ball a unique appearance in African spirit. And like the outer facade of Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium, individual design elements also capture the colourfulness of South Africa.

Managing Director of Hameedia Fouzul Hameed, himself a very avid football enthusiast said, “adidas is already the most popular and inspired sports brand in this country with its exclusive branded store in Havelock Town. As the sole distributor for the adidas brand in Sri Lanka, Hameedia is proud to bring 2010 FIFA World Cup merchandise to hundreds of football fans across the country”.

The Match Ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup features a completely new, ground-breaking technology. Eight 3-D spherically formed EVA and TPU panels are moulded together, harmoniously enveloping the inner carcass. The result is an energetic unit combined with perfect roundness.

Players all over the world are enthusiastic and look forward to many goals with the new ball. Michael Ballack says, “Fantastic, the ball does exactly what I want it to,” while, “You can feel the energy coming towards you, like a shot,” says Petr Cech.

Frank Lampard describes the ball as “A very strong ball, true to hit” while Kaká adds “For me, contact with the ball is all-important, and that’s just great with this ball.”

The ground-breaking performance features of the adidas “Jabulani” have been confirmed in comprehensive comparison tests at Loughborough Universityin England and countless checks in the wind tunnel and the adidas football laboratory in Scheinfeld, Germany. The “Jabulani” has a futuristic texture with fantastic grip, giving players full control over the ball under all weather conditions.

The adidas innovation team (ait.) is already working on innovations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.