England midfielder Michael Carrick is the latest player to criticise the Jabulani World Cup ball.
United midfielder likens Jabulani to 'beach ball'
England midfielder Michael Carrick is the latest player to criticise the Jabulani World Cup ball.
Official ball suppliers Adidas claim the new ball they have created for the tournament in South Africa this summer is perfectly round.
It is also reasonably lightweight in contrast to balls that have been used in past editions of the event.
However, the ball has come under fire from all quarters due to the erratic way it flies through the air, with goalkeepers making particular objection to its performance.
And Manchester United man Carrick, a member of Fabio Capello's 23-man Three Lions squad, has likened it to a beach ball, insisting it will turn the World Cup into a lottery.
"The new ball is not great," Carrick told the FA's official website. "It is a bit like a beach ball.
"You cannot trust it really. With some of the goals you set the ball going off in one direction and then it moves in another.
"As soon as you put any air into a pass it turns into a lottery."
Complaints
Going off his own experience of the new ball, Carrick is not surprised at the number of complaints goalkeepers have made.
"You could hit five shots and they could all go different ways so it is going to give the goalkeepers a problem," he said.
"It certainly gives you a lot of confidence to shoot.
"Strikers are going to cause the keepers all sorts of problems and they will fancy their chances outside the box.
"It is very risky for the keepers."
