I can see why sportswear companies like Adidas or Nike make such a fuss about launching a new ball at a World Cup – I remember what an object of desire a "Tango" was during and after the '78 World Cup.
However, I don't know why the football authorities consent to spring a radically new ball on the teams at a tournament like this then wonder why the games have been crap.
If you're a football player and you've spent months finessing and caressing a ball that weighs X from free kicks, corner kicks and dribbles, your muscle memory presumably will be geared towards that. You're not going to learn how to do it to a ball that weighs Y in a day or two's training. Especially since many of the venues are at altitude, where the thinner air introduces a further element of unpredictability to the ball's behaviour.
Seems the need for Adidas to make money has taken precedence over everyone else's desire to see a decent tournament.