Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was presented with the Qatar 2022 World Cup official match ball by FIFA President Gianni Infantino in New York Tuesday.
Infantino presented the ball to Erdoğan during a reception held at the Turkish House (Türkevi) in Manhattan following the Turkish leader’s address at the U.N. General Assembly.
The name "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan" was written on the ball, which Infantino said was "unique," noting that only one such ball had been produced.
Erdoğan headed the ball shortly after the presentation and said he would visit Qatar for the matches.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a former professional footballer, practices his header after being presented with Qatar 2022 World Cup official ball "Al Rihla" by FIFA President Gianni Infantinohttps://t.co/WtVs54IfgP pic.twitter.com/B7Mu5bZsRI
— DAILY SABAH (@DailySabah) September 21, 2022
The official match ball for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is known as "Al Rihla," Arabic for "The Journey,"
It is the 14th successive ball designed by German sports equipment giant Adidas and has been designed to travel faster in flight than any of its predecessors.
The ball, designed with the environment in mind, is the first World Cup ball made using only water-based inks and glues.
According to its designers, the ball’s colors and graphics were inspired by the culture, architecture, boats and flag of Qatar.
