Soccer: Altitude replaces attitude for this World Cup

The effects of South Africa's thin air will be an important factor in the outcome

The Magnus Effect sounds like an old spy thriller, with Michael Caine in a cat-and-mouse chase and the future of the world at stake.

Okay, so no such cloak-and-dagger saga ever took place. But the real-life fate of nations at next month's World Cup will partly rest on the mysterious forces a German named Magnus described in the mid-1800s.

As with security, soccer's grandiose World Cup is adept at making a daunting mountain out of a significant molehill when it comes to altitude.

Attitude not altitude has been the All Whites' catch-cry before playing their Group F matches in the South African highlands. But mother nature will not be dismissed so lightly, and her greatest work at this World Cup might be seen on how the thin air affects the modern soccer ball. Goalkeepers will be the ones struggling to breathe easy as they deal with this high-tech rocket.

The Magnus Effect is no short read. It explains how the spin that is put on a ball creates air pressures that cause it to curve. You see this in action when a cricket spinner induces swerve, or a corner-taker in soccer bends the ball into the penalty box.

Players and spectators normally take this fairly controllable force for granted - the issue in South Africa being that the ball acts radically differently at high altitudes and players will have to make major adjustments.

Seven of the 10 stadiums for the tournament are at 660m above sea level or higher. Some players will also have to get used to using different balls.

New Zealand 'keeper Glen Moss said this week that whereas the Nike ball used in the A-league still had the panel joins exposed, the World Cup adidas ball almost looks as though it is wrapped. This is due to a bonded and moulded surface - "perfect roundness", according to the creators.

A well-hit soccer ball at altitude seems to take off mid-flight, and the adidas ball looks capable of that.

"A football can really fly at altitude," said Moss. "I don't think it is a good thing for goalkeepers."

Experts say footballs gain about 5 per cent velocity on high ground. However, something of a reverse effect has been noted when the ball is curled in the thinner air. After initially bending, it fails to go on with the job and straightens.

A lot of the pre-tournament talk about altitude has been based on the effects on the body. England are going to extreme lengths at their Austrian camp, where players intermittently wear silicon gel masks that pump air with less oxygen into their system, mimicking altitude - although coach Fabio Capello rejected using altitude tents.

Whereas money is no object for success-starved England in their bid to relive the glory of 1966, New Zealand are more prudent. Nine teams, including New Zealand, will hold altitude camps in Austria, and others will play games there. Japan are going even higher, in Switzerland, and filling a room with reduced oxygen to test players.

While there are initial reactions such as lightheadedness and tiredness when shifting to a high altitude, there are benefits going the other way as the body becomes better at absorbing oxygen into the blood.

South Africa's altitudes are classed as moderate and three host cities are at sea level. However, that is a problem in itself - New Zealand's group rivals Italy and Paraguay play their opener at Cape Town before heading upwards, back to their camps and match venues.

Italy, the world champions, are holding a camp in one of their alpine villages, at around 2000m. Paraguay, like the Brazilians, are said to have a historical aversion to playing at altitude.

The All Whites' two Austrian camps are at different heights, and warm-up games against Serbia and Slovenia are at relatively low levels. The All Whites play Slovakia at Rustenburg (1500m), Italy at Nelspruit (660m) and Paraguay at Polokwane (1300m). But they are based even higher at Johannesburg.

A warm-up against Chile at their Nelspruit base will help familiarise them with the ball movement and surroundings. The adaptations the body makes for the higher ground reap advantages when players go to a lower level, as the All Whites will do. This is why some athletes use altitude training, or even camp out in special tents that copy the conditions of altitude.

If England are allowing the altitude factor to get in their players' faces, the All Whites continually play it down.

Striker Shane Smeltz believes playing in last year's Confederations Cup in South Africa has eliminated mental blocks. Others emphasise the need to learn the effects of different altitudes on the ball rather than worry about body reactions.

Captain Ryan Nelsen does not want his squad to become obsessed with the issue, thoughts echoed by 33-test All Black centre Conrad Smith this week. New Zealand rugby players are altitude experts, thanks to many quick-fire trips to South Africa for tests and Super 14 games. Smith said half the battle was losing the fear factor.

"At the start we treated it as too much of an issue. Now we don't do much about it at all," he said. "We know it's a factor, but we no longer think it's enough to change our whole approach.

"We used to stay at sea level and go up the day before the game - now we stay there for the week. Honestly, I don't think it affects performance that much. Soccer might be different, though."

But he warned that players would suffer "burning lungs". "You try to breathe but it feels like there just isn't as much air as normal."

He also pointed to the effects on the ball.

"Anyone can kick the ball well on the highveld," he said.

"Even I can punt 50 to 60 metres up there. With soccer, that could really influence the game."