England WILL practice with Brazuca World Cup ball despite rival kit deal crossover

England will draw up plans to practise with the official World Cup ball and insist the FA's deal with rival manufacturers Nike will not hamper Roy Hodgson's preparations for Brazil.

The official ball for the 2014 World Cup has been launched with manufacturers adidas hoping the 'brazuca' does not come in for the same level of criticism as its offering for the 2010 tournament.

England have a deal with Nike but FA insiders say the squad will be able to practise with the adidas ball and will hold talks over which ball to use in its friendlies in the build-up to the finals.
VIDEO: Scroll down to see Sportsmail's Matt Lawless testing the Brazuca

Lion hearts: Leighton Baines (left) Steven Gerrard and Gary Cahill (right) pose with the new adidas 'brazuca'

Are you sure you're going? Jermain Defoe (left) and Frank Lampard (right) also take part in the photocall

An FA spokesman said: 'The FA will discuss detailed preparation plans for the World Cup after this Friday's draw. As part of this, the FA will speak to Nike and decide on exact plans - including the use of the official ball - and come up with a mutually agreeable arrangement.'

In the 2010 World Cup, the 'Jabulani' ball was castigated by players - and Gary Lineker on Wednesday described it as a 'hopeless effort' - and that despite adidas insisting it had been rigorously tested and endorsed by a number of international players.

Sportsmail test the new 2014 FIFA World Cup football

Launch: The brazuca was released to much fanfare from the likes of (L-R) Cafu, Hernane and Seedorf

Model pros: Guests at the adidas brazuca launch at Parque Lage in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

WHAT DOES 'BRAZUCA' MEAN?

The ball was named Brazuca in September 2012 following a public vote in Brazil involving one million football fans. The term 'Brazuca' is an informal word meaning 'Brazilian' and describes the Brazilian way of life. The colours of the ball reflect those of the Brazilian flag and tournament logo, while the design is a representation of the colourful wristbands that Brazilians often wear. 

The 2014 version has also been rigorously tested and widely endorsed, but the manufacturers have taken on board scientists' suggestions that the Jabulani was too perfect a sphere and led to erratic flight.

The brazuca uses an identical bladder and carcass to the widely-praised Tango 12 ball used at Euro 2012 and the Champions League official ball. There are some differences in the surface structure including six panels rather than eight, all of which adidas say will provide improved grip and stability.

Spain's World Cup winning keeper Iker Casillas, who criticised the 2010 ball as 'rotten' has endorsed the brazuca and took part in the testing.

Colours everywhere: An image of Brazuca, the 2014 World Cup official soccer ball, is projected during a 3D presentation at its unveiling in Rio

Same again please: Iker Casillas hopes the brazuca brings Spain the same success as in 2010

Casillas said: 'I'm looking forward to playing in Brazil with a great ball. Hopefully with brazuca we can get the same result as in 2010.'

It has already been tested at the FIFA under-20 World Cup with a different print design, and used in a friendly match between Sweden and Argentina in February.

The word 'brazuca' is an informal local term meaning 'Brazilian', or to describe the Brazilian way of life. It was chosen after a public vote in the host country.