Keller adds to keeper's criticism of World Cup ball

Kasey Keller has added to the criticism of the World Cup ball.

The former Tottenham and Millwall goalkeeper goes into the firing line in Gelsenkirchen on Monday when the United States tackle the Czech Republic in their Group E opener.

Keller already shared the fears of former Spurs team-mate Paul Robinson about the lightweight Adidas Team Geist ball introduced by world governing body FIFA especially for the competition.

It took only six minutes of the opening game between Germany and Costa Rica for those worries to be confirmed as Philipp Lahm scored the first goal of the competition with a magnificent shot which rocketed into the top corner.

“These balls are definitely not goalkeeper friendly,” said Keller. “Most of the rules changes of the last 20 years have not favoured us, so they might as well start on the equipment as well.

“When you look back at the last World Cup, there were hardly any spectacular long-range goals. We had two in the first game yesterday, so something is obviously going on.”

Keller believes the ball is so light, it is not only flying through the air more quickly than goalkeepers are used to but it also moves around in the air, at times making normal shot-stopping an almost impossible task.

“It is a very light, fast ball,” he said. “It moves quicker in the air, so it arrives on you a fraction of a second faster than you would normally expect.

“It does not sound much but it makes a very big difference. Not only that, it has a wobble, so it moves slightly in both directions.

“At different times throughout this tournament, you will see goalkeepers over-dive because the ball will come back on them.

“I certainly would not criticise any goalkeeper for mistakes they make in this tournament because you literally do not have any idea what the ball is going to do.”