Casillas on hand to unveil EURO final ball

Spain and Real Madrid CF captain Iker Casillas has unveiled the official ball for the final of UEFA EURO 2012, the adidas Tango 12 Finale, at a ceremony in the Spanish capital.

The adidas Tango 12 Finale features a modern interpretation of classic Tango design, used during FIFA World Cups and UEFA European Championships during the early 1980s, including bespoke graphics designed to represent the two host countries and the key characteristics of football – unity, rivalry and passion.

Developed over a two-year period, it has been constructed in the same way as the ball which will be used during the rest of the tournament. That ball was presented in December 2011 at the EURO draw and distributed to the participating teams.

The final ball underwent two rigorous types of testing – qualitative player testing, which was conducted across eight different countries, using players, federations and clubs from both elite and grassroots football, and quantitative lab testing, which concluded that the adidas Tango 12 Finale meets and exceeds all FIFA standards for an official match ball, making it the most tested ball adidas has ever produced.

'Road to the Final'
The ball launch also marked the start of the adidas 'Road to the Final' campaign, where the public will have a chance to win a range of UEFA EURO 2012 prizes, including match tickets. During the campaign the ball will complete a virtual tour through every country competing in the tournament over the course of the next month on its way to Poland and, finally, Ukraine.

At each stop, a famous sportsperson will post a picture of themselves with the ball on the official adidas Facebook page and Twitter feed, with every 'like' or retweet from fans automatically entering them into a draw to win a UEFA EURO 2012 prizes.

Each selected winner will be sent a replica of the Tango 12 Finale and will be asked to post a picture of themselves with the ball at a famous landmark to show off their success.

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