Lahore, 16 April: “Innumerable obstacles will try to hurt you if you go for doing any promotion work for Sports, but if you are clear in your mission and objective, then you can easily vanish any kind of hurdles. It was never in my dreams to see turning PFF Secretariat from a brief case to high-profile Football House. When I took over PFF Presidency seven years ago, it was beyond my imagination to build a grand PFF Secretariat, but by the Grace of God I continued my efforts and a fantastic, high-quality designed FIFA Football House is reality in Pakistan. We named it after FIFA because world soccer ruling body provided us the funds for it. Work will soon begin in Karachi’s project. “this is stated by Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)’s President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat during Press Conference regarding Contractor finalization of Karachi Project. He was flanked by Sri Lankan Manilal Fernando, AFC Vice-President and FIFA Development Officer for South and Central Asia, and PFF’s Secretary General Lt.Col ® Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi,
During Press Briefing, Manilal approved Arif Nazar Associates and Nawab Brothers as Consultants and Contractor respectively for the Karachi Project, the mega project that is said to change the destiny of the emerging talent of Karachi. The project will take ten months for completion from the moment builders get Mobilization Advance.
The Goal Bureau approved the construction of Karachi Project on 3 December 2006. “Karachi’s Project will be the imposing complex in marking the delicate steps for the game’s journey towards professionalism. FIFA will provide $4, 00, 000 for construction of Project having 96-players facility, Gymnasium, Auditorium, playing surface, Coach rooms, Canteen etc. “The future is Asia and Pakistan is a part of it. We want them to reach glory as well as international level in football. The PFF and AFC will work hand-in-hand in future to make that dream come true,” promised by AFC VP. He termed today’s decision as a ‘breakthrough in Pakistan football’.
Mani as he is known to the football fraternity, is the man who is one of the most respected by footballers in Sri Lanka and overseas. He called Lahore project as one of best around the globe and he hoped that the Karachi’s consultants, contractors will also show their ability in constructing a fine Football House which would contribute in the overall development of the game.
Faisal added : “Karachi would be the second city of FIFA Goal Project after Lahore. A technical centre and headquarters for the association was built in Lahore as part of the Goal Program with The Goal Bureau approving the project at its 4 March 2002 meet. FIFA has also promised to help PFF with more Projects after completion of Football House in Karachi.”
Another Project is in full swing at Peshawar, namely Earthquake Project. It was awarded to Muzaffarabad after the 2005 earthquake but replacement was on the card when capital of Azad Kashmir failed to provide appropriate land. It came to Peshawar after the NWFP Football Association’s President Syed Zahir Ali Shah offered two acres of land for the project at Shahi Bagh.
“FIFA promotes the independence and professionalisation of its member associations through the construction of a “house of football”. The Goal Programme is an expression of solidarity that provides the associations with tailor-made projects, such as the construction of association headquarters, technical centres, natural and artificial turf pitches and football schools,’ added by Faisal who is also AFC Disciplinary Committee Chairman and FIFA Disciplinary Committee member.
The Goal Programme, a brainchild of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, was launched for the 1999-2002 period with funds of CHF 100 million. The programme then graduated to the Goal II stage, again with funds of CHF 100 million available for the 2003-2006 period, and it is now in the Goal III stage with funds of USD 120 million for the 2007-2010 period.
The aim of the programme, launched on 9 June 1999 during Los Angles FIFA Congress, is to help promote projects in financially underprivileged associations, providing headquarters, natural and artificial turf pitches, training and education centres and other facilities that are essential to a basic infrastructure. The programme’s first aim was reached at the end of 2006 when each member association had its own “House of Football”. So far, 158 of the 366 projects in the pipeline have been officially inaugurated, with a further 17 currently in the planning stage.
FIFA has already approved a hefty amount of US $400,000 for the land under Hawksbay Scheme 42, Plot No 13 A-1 under Lyari Development Project. The total cost on the project, to be built on 10 acres of land, would be around US$ 600,000. The PFF had chosen the said piece of land at Hawkesbay after having given up on their first choice at Trans Lyari Park, Old Golimar, Manghopir Road.
