England want to practice with Adidas World Cup ball in spite of agreement with Nike

Battle of sponsors again?

The England FA face a dilemma now. Roy Hodgson has suggested that the England football team needs to practice with the World Cup ball. England who are currently in contract with Adidas’s bitter rivals Nike want to practice with the “Brazuca” in their training camps. But Nike currently have a deal of £25 million per year with England.

Football Association executives will hold a detailed meeting with the sports-gear giant Nike in order to allow the England football team to play matches with the World Cup ball.

Under the current deal, England can only play matches with the “Brazuca” at home or train in public with the balls supplied by the US firm. It is also said that England wouldn’t be able to play with the World Cup ball until March when they begin to prepare for a friendly against Denmark. The England FA is also set to receive a consignment of “Brazuca” balls this week from FIFA.

England will be facing Italy in their first game of their World Cup campaign. The Three Lions were knocked out of Euro 2012 in the quarterfinal by the Italians in the penalty shootout. They will also face competition from Uruguay and Costa Rica who is said to be the underdog of the group. Group D has been dubbed the “Group of Death” in the 2014 World Cup and Roy Hodgson’s squad definitely won’t be having it easy in the World Cup.