Photo credit: @Mohamed Ghonemi / Facebook
A Ball That Carries a Cultural Soul
Every tournament chooses a symbol, and for AFCON 2025, that symbol is not only infrastructure or atmosphere, it is a ball. ITRI stands as the visual heartbeat of the competition, merging Moroccan heritage with continental creativity. At the center of this artistic direction is Mohamed Ghonemi, an Egyptian designer and CAF’s Creative Development Manager, whose work shaped the identity of the tournament’s most visible object.
An African Designer Interpreting Moroccan Art
Ghonemi’s relationship with African football goes beyond design; he has spent years shaping CAF’s visual narratives. For ITRI, his approach began with Morocco’s architectural language, especially zellij, the classical craft of geometric symmetry. Instead of treating these motifs as surface decoration, he explored their inner logic: stars interlocking at precise angles, petals unfolding in circular rhythm, and forms that feel ancient yet adaptable.
His early sketches show this journey. Lines repeated until they revealed balance, shapes adjusted to survive the curve of a sphere, and compositions tested for clarity at high motion. Zellij is structured, mathematical and deeply expressive. Translating it onto a football required a designer who respects both its roots and its future.
Where Art Meets Engineering
After the visual identity matured, PUMA’s global design team merged the artwork with the Orbita 6 match-ball platform, ensuring high performance during competition. Every panel was adjusted to keep the geometric flow intact, and every color was tuned to stand out on Moroccan pitches and international screens.
The final look is deliberate:
- Stars to reflect ambition and elevation.
- Petal forms to echo celebration and cultural festivity.
- Circular symmetry to represent unity among all participating nations.
ITRI becomes more than an object of play, it becomes a cultural storyteller. The ball carries Morocco’s identity, CAF’s artistic direction and the work of an Egyptian designer who translated heritage into motion.
A Symbol for AFCON 2025
As Morocco prepares to host the continent’s most prestigious football event, ITRI captures the spirit of the tournament: tradition, innovation and artistic pride. Every rotation reveals a new angle of its story, and every match will transform Ghonemi’s lines and patterns into movement.
ITRI is not only engineered for performance, it is sculpted to carry meaning.
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