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FIFA, the Local Organising Committee and FIFA Partner adidas today revealed the name of the Official Match Ball for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.
The ball will be called the “adidas Brazuca” following a public vote by over one million Brazilian football fans, where the name received 70 per cent of the vote.
adidas, the FIFA World Cup Official Match Ball supplier since 1970, took inspiration from elements of Brazilian culture to come up with a shortlist of three possible names for the ball. In addition to the eventual winner Brazuca, there were two more options – Bossa Nova - a reference to the famous samba-jazz music genre popularised in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s and 1960s and Carnavalesca - a word describing someone who plans or participates in the country’s raucous carnival celebrations.
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For the past three weeks, Brazilian football fans have been voting for their favourite name in their thousands. This is the first time that fans have been directly involved in the naming of the FIFA World Cup ball.
The informal term “brazuca” is used by Brazilians to describe national pride in the Brazilian way of life. Mirroring their approach to football, it symbolises emotion, pride and goodwill to all.
“I’m delighted that Brazilian football fans have had the opportunity to play their part in deciding the name of one of the event’s most important symbols,” said FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke.
“I’m sure that the Brazuca ball will go down in history together with other iconic FIFA World Cup balls, such as the Tango in Argentina in 1978 and the Azteca in Mexico in 1986.”
The name was revealed today during TV Globo’s Esporte Espectacular programme, which featured Brazilian football legend Cafu.
Although the name of the ball is now clear, fans will have to wait a little bit longer until they can actually see the adidas Brazuca ball.
It is currently being developed, with its testing taking place worldwide with several football clubs and associations ahead of its launch for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
