World Cup goalkeepers complain that the new Adidas soccer ball behaves differently from the traditional ones constructed from hexagonal panels. Article here suggests possible reasons why. See Wired News: Flight of the Bumble Ball.
There’s probably a sense of déjà vu here for Kiwi rugby supporters, after Adidas’ first attempt at a rugby ball was described by some as “a pig and a lemon”, and was dropped in favour of another brand. Still the lemon (it was fluorescent yellow originally) might be back soon. See Game gets kickalong as new ball passes test – Union – www.theage.com.au.