adidas Comoequa – Official Match Ball of the 2012 Orange Africa Cup of Nations

Introducing the adidas ‘Comoequa’, the Official Match Ball for the 2012 Orange African Cup of Nations. The name takes its inspiration from the Como River which runs through both host nations – Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and the Equator which runs throughout Africa and unites both host nations.

The adidas Comoequa features a bright yellow base colour inspired by the vibrancy of African culture, and links to the flags of both tournament hosts — Gabon and Equatorial Guinea through colour markings on the central triangular panels. The Comoequa, shares the same construction as the Tango 12, the Official Match Ball for the UEFA Euro 2012™, and is the third ball adidas has produced for the tournament, having started as the Official Supplier of the African Cup of Nations in 2008.

Complementing the design, the adidas Comoequa features a series of triangular panels that are thermally bonded together to ensure a true, stable flight path. Covering each panel of the ball is a grip texture which supports boot to ball contact and enhances ball control. Beneath the outer surface of the ball lies a woven carcass and a new bladder for increased air retention and reduced water uptake.

The adidas Comoequa will be used on field during the African Cup of Nations which kicks off on January 21st when tournament hosts Equatorial Guinea take to the field at the Estadio de Bata in Bata. The adidas Comoequa is available for purchase in adidas retail outlets and associated stockists as of January 2012.

Testing is key for enhancement

Every time adidas bring out a new ball there is also some controversy – is the ball flying straight, is it too light, too small? – just to mention some of the questions the German manufacturers are always getting.

And adidas can tell you one thing for sure: No, it is neither too light, nor too small because it always passes a rigorous testing and it exceeds all FIFA Approved Standards.

However, adidas also set their own standards which are even stricter than FIFA’s are. They test all different aspects such as the roundness of the ball, its weight and whether it absorbs water and therewith changes its playing characteristics throughout a game (by the way: no, it doesn’t). Another test adidas do is about accuracy.

There is a robotic leg in the company’s test centre in Herzogenaurach which hits the ball again and again on a goal distance of 22 meters. With this robotic leg you can reproduce any shot as often as you want. Its execution will always be exactly the same – leg and foot angles will not vary by any degree. With the robotic leg and high-speed cameras we are able to analyse the ball’s exact flight characteristics.