By David Owen in Johannesburg
June 30 – The 2010 FIFA World Cup pauses for breath for the first time these next two days.
Time to assess who is winning the tournament’s Battle of the Brands.
With 56 of the 64 games completed – but the most important still to come – the final verdict will probably have to await the crowning of the 2010 world champions in Soccer City, Johannesburg on July 11.
With only eight of the original 32 competitors still standing, however, one of the three big rivals looks to have established a clear edge.
These are the basic facts:
In terms of goals scored in South Africa, perhaps the purists’ preferred gauge, Adidas teams have managed 52, ahead of Nike with 46 and Puma with 21.
Then again, there were more Adidas teams (12) at this World Cup than either Nike (10) or Puma (seven).
So I don’t think that narrow lead can be considered decisive – particularly given the heavy critiicism levelled at both the Jabulani ball and the referees, notably those responsible for Frank Lampard’s goal that wasn’t for England (Umbro/Nike) against Germany (Adidas) at Bloemfontein last Sunday.
Both the ball and the referees are effectively Adidas-branded.
The number of victories chalked up by teams supplied by the three big sports equipment brands provides a rather clearer picture.
Spain’s 1-0 victory over Portugal, a Nike team, in Cape Town last night was the 19th recorded at the tournament by a side wearing Adidas shirts.
This gives the brand of the three stripes a clear advantage over Nike with 14 wins and Puma with just seven.
Most decisive of all is a simple tally of who has the biggest representation among the eight quarter-finalists.
The answer? Adidas has four (Argentina, Germany, Paraguay and Spain) against two for both Nike (Brazil and Holland) and Puma (Ghana and Uruguay).
While Puma, which suffered a big blow with the early exit of 2006 World Cup winners Italy, will be benefiting from the excitement generated in Africa by Ghana’s impressive progress to the last eight, it now looks unlikely that it will supply the shirts worn by the 2010 champions.
Nike, by contrast, will still be nurturing serious hopes that one of its teams can beat the Adidas quartet to the trophy.
By a quirk, all four quarter-finals will see teams wearing the same brand’s colours confronting each other.
The two all-Adidas matches pit Argentina against Germany and Paraguay against Spain.
The Nike head-to-head will see Brazil clash with Holland in Port Elizabeth, while the Puma match-up brackets Uruguay with Ghana in Johannesburg’s Calabash.
As a result, all three brands are guaranteed a semi-finalist (Adidas will have two), while the final will pit one of the Adidas teams against the winner of what is certain to be a Nike versus Puma clash in the Cape Town semi-final on July 6.
If, come July 11, the last team standing from among the powerful Adidas contingent lifts the famous trophy at the conclusion of Africa’s first World Cup, you can safely say that the German group would have won the 2010 edition of this perennial tussle between the Big Three sports equipment makers.
Since Adidas is an official FIFA sponsor, many might find this fitting.
If, however, the famous yellow shirts of Brazil win the cup for a record sixth time – a far from negligible possibility – we would probably have to conclude that Nike had got up to snatch the honours on the line.
Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1735216991labto1735216991ofdlr1735216991owedi1735216991sni@n1735216991ewo.d1735216991ivad1735216991
David Owen is a specialist sports journalist who worked for 20 years for the Financial Times in the United States, Canada, France and the UK. He ended his FT career as sports editor after the 2006 World Cup and is now freelancing, including covering last year’s Beijing Olympics. He is tweeting from South Africa at www.twitter.com/dodo938