Despite the fact that the Indonesia national football team, Tim Garuda did not make it to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a Java-based company is making a name for itself as the maker of the official match ball.
The official match ball for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Al Rihla is being manufactured in Madiun Regency, East Java province by PT Global Way. The local sporting goods manufacturer opened its factory in 2019 and employs more than 2,000 workers.
Photo via Sports Brief
According to Al Jazeera, Ahmad Dawami, the Madiun regent stated that football is a pride to the community and has provided a much-needed boost to the local economy since 2020.
Al Rihla, which means “The Journey” in Arabic is being made in partnership with Adidas.
As part of the World Cup celebrations, one million of the souvenir balls have been produced at the factory and will be shipped to Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and the United Arab Emirates.
Al Rihla is the 14th official World Cup ball and is the fastest and most accurate ball yet, according to FIFA.
The ball features a panel design inspired by a Dhow, a traditional Arab boat with a blue, red and yellow colour scheme that is meant to represent Qatar’s landscape. Al Rihla is also the first World Cup ball produced solely using environmentally friendly water-based glue and ink!
Wah, how interesting. And the ball looks pretty cool, too!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
