Adidas Tango 12

Monumental Adidas Tango 12, Kiev

The Adidas Tango 12 was the official match association football of the UEFA Euro 2012,^[1] with variants being used for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The ball is named after the original and successful Adidas Tango family of footballs from the late 1970s, but the construction of the Tango 12 is completely different. Variations of the ball have been used in other contemporary competitions including the Africa Cup of Nations and the Summer Olympics – adidas has not categorised these football as the "Adidas Tango 12" family, however they are listed here due to their similar design.

The ball was officially presented on 2 December 2011, during the group draw for the final tournament in Kiev. UEFA count the Tango 12 as the fourth incarnation of the ball^[1] although there have been other variations made in-between, The ball is reportedly designed to be easier to dribble and control than its predecessor the Adidas Jabulani (used during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa). Tango 12 uses a construction design based on the Adidas Jabulani but heavily modified, thirty-two 2D panels instead of eight 3D panels. The latter ball was decried by several goalkeepers, including Brazilian Júlio César, who likened it to "one of those cheap balls you'd buy in a supermarket". Wendell Ramalho agreed, saying that the Adidas Jabulani is "very unpredictable especially over a great distance".^[2]

The Adidas Tango 12 features a modern interpretation of the design including a coloured outline inspired by the flags of the two host nations – Poland and Ukraine.^[3] Etched into the Tango design are three bespoke graphics which celebrate the decorative art of paper cutting, a tradition in the rural areas of both host countries which the designers say creates a link to the key characteristics of football – unity, rivalry and passion.^[4]

Versions

The Tango variation for the 2011 UEFA Super Cup, the 2011-12 UEFA Europa League as well as the Torfabrik for the 2011–12 Fußball-Bundesliga, use an older triangular grip texture, instead of newer granular surface found on the Tango 12. Their construction is the same as the Tango 12; however, their appearance is similar to the Jabulani (excluding the UEFA Super Cup ball that applies respective colours and design).

Torfabrik

Torfabrik (English: "Goal factory") has been the Adidas ball for the Bundesliga since the 2011-12 season. This replaced the 2010-2011 season's Jabulani Torfabrik based on the older Adidas Jabulani.

Adidas Cafusa

Adidas Cafusa, the official match ball of the tournament

For the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, Adidas produced the Cafusa.^[5] Adidas has confirmed that the ball uses the same technology and materials as the Tango 12 (and Torfabrik) although with a different design.^[6]

The ball was unveiled during the draw for the competition. The name "Cafusa" (pronounced: [kɐˈfuzɐ]) is a syllabic abbreviation of the words "carnaval" (Carnival), "futebol" (football) and "samba".^[7] Former Brazil captain Cafu, who coincidently has a similar name to the ball, was invited to officially unveil the ball.^[7]

The ball has also been used for the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup, the 2013 Paraguay Apertura, and the 2012-2013 Venezuelan First Division.

See also

• Adidas Tango

References

External links

• Adidas ball history
• Soccerball World: History of the World Cup's Match Balls