Adidas has unveiled the “wawa aba” as the official match ball for the 2008 African Cup of Nations

At the draw for the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana, football boot brand Adidas has unveiled the tournament’s official match ball, the “wawa aba”.

The Adidas “wawa aba” has been designed to combine tradition and innovation, and incorporates exceptionally strong colouring. The red/yellow/green colour way is derived from the national flag of the African Cup of Nations host nation, Ghana. The football also symbolises both historical and cultural elements of Africa. For the Akan culture originating from Western Africa, the name “wawa aba” is a symbol of persistence. People there particularly believe in the strength and team spirit of a community. The wawa aba is the seed of the wawa tree, one of the strongest and usable woods in Africa.

The ball is made of 14 panels produced with revolutionary thermo bonding technology. Its flight features have perfect characteristics which enable players to optimally control the ball and shoot with incredible precision.

Erich Stamminger, President and CEO of the Adidas brand commented: “In recent years, football in Africa experienced outstanding growth and the Africa Cup has become one of the most important continental championships worldwide. Therefore, we are pleased that the African Cup of Nations is now also played with a specially designed Adidas ball. This impressively underlines our position as the number one football brand on all continents.”

Adidas is the official match ball supplier for the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.