League Cup: EFL defends ball after Arteta’s comments
League Cup: EFL defends ball after Arteta’s comments
The English Football League (EFL) has defended the ball used in the League Cup after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said it “flies differently” from those used in the Premier League.
Arteta’s comments came after his side’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in the semifinal first leg on Tuesday, a match in which Arsenal failed to score despite firing in 23 shots.
“We kicked a lot of the balls over the [cross] bar. This ball flies a lot,” the Spaniard said after the match. “It’s different from the Premier League ball, and you have to adapt to that as it flies different.”
The EFL said in a statement on Wednesday that the ball was tested in accordance with FIFA’s quality programme and met the required standards.
“In addition to the Carabao Cup, the same ball has been successfully used in other major European leagues … All clubs play with the same ball, and we have received no further comments of this nature,” it added.
(With Reuters inputs)
