- Football
England request permission to use Brazuca
The Football Association (FA) are set to enter talks with Nike to give England permission to use the official 2014 World Cup ball before the tournament next summer.
The Brazuca was unveiled last week by Adidas, but England have a £25million deal with rival company Nike which specifies they can only use their balls at "home" matches and when training in public.
Criticism of the Jabulani ball used in South Africa in 2010 are still fresh in the memory - with players and managers, including Fabio Capello, believing its unpredictable movement through the air turned games at the last World Cup into lotteries.
England have home friendlies to come against Denmark in March and an unconfirmed opponent in May but, as things stand, they will have to play with a Nike ball in both games.
Fears this could hamper their preparations for the World Cup has prompted FA officials and England boss Roy Hodgson to plan discussions with Nike about those two games and their two planned pre-tournament friendlies set to take place in Florida or Miami.
An FA spokesperson told the Daily Mirror: "The FA will discuss detailed preparation plans with Nike in due course, and come up with a mutually agreeable arrangement."
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