The Czech Republic goalkeeper, Petr Cech has expressed his concern over the introduction of a new, lighter football to be used for the first time at this summer’s Euro 2008 Championships.

 

 

Cech argues that the new ball will make it a lot harder for goalkeeper’s to judge the flight of a ball and that although it will result in more goals, particularly from long distance this will give the appearance that the goalkeeper will be at fault.

The Chelsea goalkeeper’s concerns echo those of Germany’s Jen Lehmann, who said this week “We'll see goals scored here (at Euro 2008) that wouldn't have gone in with other balls…You have to be very brave to go up for a catch with this ball. It moves very fast”.

 

The official ball for Euro 2008 designed by Adidas is called the “Europass”. According to the manufacturers, the ball has 14 panels that combined with PSC-Texture material creates a better contact between the boot and the ball. This allows for better ball control and swerve. The ball is designed for top performance in all weather conditions.

UEFA have announced that a special version of the ball, called the “Europass Gloria” will be used for the Euro 2008 Final held in Vienna on 29 June.