Adidas, the official match ball supplier for the
Confederation of African Football (CAF), unveiled the new official match ball
– KATLEGO - for the Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2013, South Africa.
The new ball, which was given its name through a vote by the
African football fans, was unveiled during CAF’s live draw show in Durban on
Wednesday night.
“We are delighted to present the fourth official match-ball
for the most important tournament in Africato CAF following the success of
previous balls such as Wawa Aba (Ghana), Jabulani (Angola) and Comoequa
(Equatorial Guinea and Gabon),” says Zobuzwe Ngobese, the Public Relations
Manager at Adidas South Africa.
The design of the new ball was inspired by the Ndebele print
artworks and the dominant colours in most African national flags and the result
was a ball full of colour and vibrance, adds Ngobese.
“CAF is proud to be associated with a leading football brand
such as adidas and we are excited about the new ball as it represents the whole
of Africa. We look forward to an exciting tournament in January,” says
AmrShaheen, the Marketing and TV Director at CAF.
KATLEGO will be used for the first time shortly after the
draw to leverage the excitement for the Orange AFCON 2013 and to allow the
qualified teams to get used to the ball. South African Premier Soccer League
clubs will get to use the new ball this coming weekend in a fixture between
Ajax Cape Town and Sundowns in Cape Town on the 27th of October, as well as
AmaZulu vs OrlandoPirates on the 28th of October in Soweto.
KATLEGO, which means success in SeSotho language, was
chosenby African football fans via an online voting competition where they had
to vote for one of three names shortlisted by adidas. Katlego beat alternate
names Khanya (which means light) and Motswako (which means mixture).
Ismail Badmus of Nigeria, was one of the lucky voters who won
a double ticket and trip for two to watch the final match of the 2013 AFCON
tournament in South Africa. He will be
hosted by adidas for the final.
For up-to-date news from adidas South Africa, visit adidas
South Africa news stream (http://news.adidas.com/ZA)
