In 2006, inventor and songwriter Tim Jahnigen was watching a CNN documentary about kids in Darfur who were using balls of trash to play soccer because the balls they use are always quickly destroyed, and that gave him an idea – “I’m going to make a soccer ball that can’t be destroyed.” And unlike 99% of people who have such ideas for cool inventions like this, Jahnigen actually followed through with it and spent the next several years developing his new super ball. It also helps that he’s friends with Sting, and when the former Police frontman isn’t getting down with some tantric sex, he’s trying to save the world.
Over breakfast in 2007, Jahnigen told Sting how kids in Darfur love playing soccer and he had this idea for a ball that would never go flat or break, so Sting was all, “Quit your job and work on this.” And Jahnigen was all, “But it’s going to cost me, like, $300,000 or something like that” and Sting was like, “Hold on” and he reached into his back pocket and pulled out $300,000 for him and thus One World Futbol was born. That’s kind of how it went, but I’ll let Sting explain it.
