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Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@achidente
Topics: Adidas, Football World Cup
Josh Lawless
Fans have been left extremely confused after seeing an image of the Adidas World Cup balls being charged up before a game.
Adidas have once again produced the footballs for the tournament, with this one in Qatar known as 'Al Rihla' - which translates to the 'the journey' in Arabic.
However, there is major difference spec-wise, as the 2022 balls have been fitted with 500Hz motion sensors that completely change the game.
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They track location, impact and movement of every kick and header on the pitch, at 500 frames per second.
The sensors have also been crucial in the implementing of the new semi-automated offside calls, which have been a feature of the showpiece and resulted in many goals being chalked off.
But the new technology means that the balls have to be fully charged to function properly.
A picture has gone viral showing four balls being plugged into power sockets on extension leads, in the same way that you charge up your mobile phone.
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The battery from the sensor, which weighs 14 grams, can last for six hours of use and so need to be charged up regularly.
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Its technology came up clutch on Monday when it confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo did not get a touch on Bruno Fernandes' cross against Uruguay.
Ronaldo claimed he had scored the opener and subsequently levelled Eusebio's World Cup goals tally of nine.
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But even from slow motion replays, it was difficult to say whether Ronaldo had actually made contact with his header.
However, Adidas, with their high-tech balls, were able to prove it was actually a Fernandes goal.
A statement read: “In the match between Portugal and Uruguay, using the Connected Ball Technology housed in Adidas’s Al Rihla Official Match Ball, we are able to definitively show no contact on the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo for the opening goal in the game.
“No external force on the ball could be measured as shown by the lack of ‘heartbeat’ in our measurements and in the attached graphic.
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“The 500Hz IMU sensor inside the ball allows us to be highly accurate in our analysis.”
England defender Kieran Trippier has admitted the balls are a "bit different" and "bit lighter and stressed the need to not put too much power on a set-piece.