Game balls for World Cup matches have become stars in their own right during the tournament. The ball has made headlines with its embedded technology and raised questions among fans, including: Why is everyone expected to promptly toss the ball back onto the pitch? It’s a question more out of curiosity than an outcry for change.

FIFA Policy

The thrill of catching a match ball is short-lived for World Cup-goers as staff members working the match await on the pitch in a ready position for fans to throw it back, per FIFA policy. Some fans try to get a quick selfie with the ball if they are lucky enough to get their hands on it. A game ball would definitely be a coveted memento, especially for those who have spent thousands on flights, hotels and 100-level tickets.

England fan Jack Goodwin said, “I mean, the amount of money that I spent, I should definitely be able to keep a football when I catch it from the stadium. I saved up for a house and blew my whole deposit bringing me and my dad out from London.”

Tradition and Technology

In soccer, not so much. “We don’t know, and we don’t care,” one Congo fan said when asked if he knew why fans couldn’t keep a ball kicked into the stands. “We didn’t come here for a prize, we came here to watch our country.” The evolution of the ball itself has only reinforced FIFA’s interest in getting each one back. This year’s World Cup ball, the Adidas Trionda, is the most sophisticated to date.

The Trionda is a four-panel, thermally pressed polyurethane ball, but perhaps the most defining feature is on the inside, where a 500Hz motion sensor sends real-time data to the video assistant referee system to help officials with decisions, including the oft-controversial offsides call. Real-time data also goes to match referees to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal-line.

Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.