Headlines: Adidas getting exactly what they wanted out of this ball

Headlines, that is. Topping the roll this morning, a story of successful marketing - insert your own whoops of glee and slapping of backs, just to imagine how much fun this one was to write back at shoe-company HQ - and down below, some links and a video:

From the AP:

LONDON - Adidas has hit back at criticism that the World Cup ball is difficult to control and a nightmare for goalkeepers by saying it was widely tested and approved long ago.

Company spokesman Thomas van Schaik said Monday he was surprised to hear the criticisms, made by top goalkeepers such as Spain's Iker Casillas and Brazil's Julio Cesar, because the balls had been used for months without any complaints.

Van Schaik said that players heading for the World Cup had been practising with the "Jabulani" ball since it was launched in December and all the feedback until now had been positive.

Asked why it behaved differently at altitude, where many of the games will be played in South Africa, Van Schaik said that applied to all balls.

Guus Hiddink doesn't think much of the US's chances against England: "(England) are at a higher level."

Squad updates: Nigeria's final 23-man squad leaves out forwards Ikechukwu Uke and Victor Anichebe and let's see if either of them pull a Laryea Kingston, the Hearts midfielder-forward who according to reports cussed out manager Milovan Rajevac as a "stupid man" after Kingston was left off Ghana's final team.

Related: adidas' official video for the Jabalani ball.

The weekend friendlies

Lots of final-countdown stuff going now with the friendlies, not all of them created equally and very few of them on TV here, at least as far as I can tell.

Long post, so you can pick it up after the jump...

Morning headlines: Kicking the World Cup ball

We are getting close. The quadrennial moaning about the new adidas 'Jabulani' ball has started, right on schedule. First it was Hugo Lloris. Now Brazil, with Kaka in training, has barely arrived in South Africa and goalkeeper Julio Cesar is grousing, albeit with tongue in cheek. From the AP:

Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar is not happy with the ball that will be used during the World Cup, saying it looks like something from a "grocery store."
Cesar also called the Adidas ball "horrible" and "terrible".
The goalkeeper, who won the Champions League with Inter Milan last week, did not elaborate on his views of the lively ball.
Cesar said "they are always trying to make things difficult for the goalkeepers," and later joked that he has only himself to blame for choosing to play the position.

Today's factoid: At the mile-high altitude of Jo'burg's two stadiums, the ball will travel 5% faster than at sea level. That should really reassure Cesar's brethren between the sticks.

We'll be along in a bit with a look at this weekend's friendlies. Meantime, other items in the World Cup news include:

It was chaos today as remaining World Cup tickets were to go on sale in South Africa - and the computer system promptly broke down. Put that together with last night's glitches outside Soccer City stadium and it looks like there's still some work to do.

Lort! Denmark's phenom defender Simon Kjaer is on the limp. But he's still in the squad, as Morton Olsen keeps Kjaer in the final 23-man a day after he was stretchered off during Danes' 2-0 win over Senegal.

Key Greek defender Vassilis Torosidis has resumed training.

And Samuel Eto'o has two words for critics, including Roger Milla: "Shut up". That's the sanitized version, anyway.

Denis Irwin likes Spain, and (surprise) doesn't like France

One of Ireland’s finest is in town, thumping for Manchester United’s July 16 game against Celtic at the sodded-for-the-occasion Rogers Centre. Denis Irwin was a big part of United’s glory days of the 90s and early 00s and was Ireland’s right back at the USA 94 World Cup, including that stirring 1-0 win over Italy in their opening match. I sat down with Denis, now working with Manchester United TV, at the Four Seasons Hotel on Thursday, to talk about World Cups come and gone, that moment last November (remarkably, he stays pretty composed) and United’s upcoming visit.

Pick it up after the jump...

Afternoon headlines: Essien out

The headlines:

If you had Ghana in your pool, um, you better re-draw or at least buy a backup ticket. Michael Essien is officially out of South Africa 2010. (That's two talismans fallen by the wayside in the last week, following on Michael Ballack with Germany.)

No surprises among Holland's final cuts, and don't they look like an appealing price? Then again, if you were on board for the noon chat, you already know that.

Brazil arrived today in Johannesburg. Not much for ceremony, this Dunga bunch.

Spain's Fernando Torres is back in training.

Live: 2010 World Cup Q&A

Chris Young and Cathal Kelly held a live Q&A at noon Thursday, fielding readers' questions about the 2010 World Cup.