After the press conference of the 2022 Qatar World Cup "AI Rihla", Oliver Hundacker, senior director of Adidas football product development, and Franziska Loeffellman, director of adidas football design, also accepted questions from various media.
Q1: This world cup is the first time to be held in West Asia, how does the color and pattern of the match ball show Qatari culture? What other designs reflect the characteristics of West Asia? Why is the concept of inclusion a very important part of the ball used in this competition?
Franziska: You can clearly see that the inspiration for World Cup football starts with the shape of the pieces, which is truly reflected in modern architecture and the Qatari flag. But obviously, exciting is that this is the first time we have hosted a World Cup in an Arab country. So we explored a huge and beautiful pattern embodied in the entire block shape, completely influenced by modern stadiums and modern Qatari architecture, as well as cultural motifs and iconic sailing ships. Speaking of colors, you see, it completely breathes life into this football, full of positive energy that really supports the flags of all countries, the colors of all countries, and the beautiful natural colors that Qatar has.
Q2.“ Al Rihla's technical feature is that it flies faster than the ball in previous World Cups, how is this technically done? What data does it have to support this, such as how many experiments or types of experiments have been done, and how much faster than telstar18? What speed can I reach when shooting on goal?
Oliver: Obviously we did a lot of wind tunnel-based and simulation testing, and we also had internal machines as well, and we had a robotic shooting device that could shoot at a given shooting speed. We can definitely see that the AL RIHLA as a whole is performing faster than the Telstar 18. But we don't want to reveal specific numbers.
Q3. You said there was a test that was done by a lot of players, like Bayern Munich. So what's their feedback? What interesting or surprising feedback did players give during the test?
Oliver: But it's always fun because as I said it's very important to hear what the players think about the ball. I think the best feedback you can get is that they don't want to give the ball back to you. Once they test the ball and they feel very comfortable with the ball, then that's a clear sign that they feel at ease with the ball. So we really got a lot of feedback to make the players feel safe with the ball and they did find the greater speed, consistency and accuracy that the ball offered them. So you can imagine that professional players want to have a reliable ball on their feet because they rely heavily on the performance of this device.
Q4. Adidas has always been very focused on sustainability. AL RIHLA was the first World Cup ball to use only water-based ink and water-based adhesives, why use this technology? How is it different from previous footballs? How is that different from Adi's other eco-friendly products? In addition, what other designs are related to sustainability this time?
Oliver: First of all, we've been working on a sustainable journey. Replacing inks and coatings with water-based inks and water-based adhesives is now a big first step. I say the first step because we have other areas that want to continue exploring. But the water-based component reduces the film, especially the use of chemicals during production. I think in addition to these ingredients, there is also a very important need to know that the new tile design can significantly reduce waste, because the new block shape produces less waste, compared to the Telstar 18, which is almost 8% less waste.
Q5. We can see that a significant feature on the ball "Al Rihla" for this World Cup is that the three logos of Adidas are still there, but the word "ADIDAS" is gone.) Will all football-related products start to adopt similar logos in the future?
Franziska : Yes, we did launch the new logo of Adidas and it will be our new logo for the future. It's very pleasing to know that this logo was used for the first time on the Ball for a World Cup match, and yes, it will be the hallmark of this tournament.
Oliver: Believe me I can say that we will continue our strategy with three different logos, one of which is now adopted on the match ball, representing the Adidas Athletic Performance Division.
Q6. In the design and development process of this football, is there any interesting story to share with you? Thoroughly, the whole process of development. Are there any interesting stories to share throughout the development? So which impressed the most?
Oliver: Today, we are proud to be able to do a lot of work on behalf of the huge team behind us. Really see all the enthusiasm and pride in this project, which is really the best part because it doesn't just stop at headquarters, it's a global project. We work closely with our colleagues in Asia and, especially in China. We must truly trust each other and everyone can contribute equally to the success of the project.
And then once you go to the test ball and travel the world with the ball, as the name says, you get feedback from different cultures, different time zones, different climatic zones. It's amazing, and I think when I speak on behalf of both of us, that's the greatest pride we can share.
Q7. There are many official World Cup balls that have left a deep impression on everyone, such as the "Flying Fire Meteor" of that year, do you think that this year's World Cup ball can reach or surpass the height of those classic footballs?
Oliver: I think so, because first we need to remember that the ball is held at the most unusual time of the year. So by the end of the year, we're now doing the first World Cup, which is also very important for the Southern Hemisphere because those countries are enjoying the summer, being able to keep an eye on the game and really play with the ball. I also think that we are now living in a time where obviously a lot of things are happening at the macroeconomic and political level and we all want to be a big festival, an opportunity for people to get together and enjoy the game. So this ball will be the focus and hopefully when they see this ball they'll have good memories and hopefully they'll remember some happy moments and great games that happened during the game.
Q8. The sphere of the ball "Al Rihla" used in this World Cup is made of triangular spheres, which is different from the traditional pentagons and circles commonly used in Previous World Cup football. How is this considered? How does this affect the game?
Oliver: First of all, always start with the designer's inspiration and design philosophy, because we want to come up with a block shape that can clearly represent or express speed and can be impressive. Then, it's important that you have new ideas about how to align the tiles on the ball and that they are productive efficiently. But ultimately, I think that's the biggest hurdle that needs to be crossed, and it's how physics works when we're going to improve aerodynamics, especially to reduce air resistance, and then you need to adhere to certain parameters. I think it really leads us directly to the current shape of the block.