November 12, 2003	Wednesday	Ramazan 16, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) is planning to build three stadiums, one each in Karachi, Quetta and Lahore in a bid to give the ailing sport a lift.

Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, the PFF chief told journalists on Tuesday that he would prefer organising and staging football in areas where the game was already popular.

“We have been promised sponsorship for the projects which once completed will certainly help in reviving the game.”

Faisal said that a proposal was being sent to FIFA which had promised to provide funds for the development of football in Pakistan.

Faisal had recently met FIFA president Sepp Blatter in Kuwait and also held a meeting with the head of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

A general council meeting of the PFF is to take place shortly in which a host of issues will be discussed and finalised, Faisal said.

APP adds: “We will have two-three football coaches soon to train our senior and junior teams”, said PFF boss.

“We will also start a league on the pattern of Europe and South America as part of newly-elected PFF’s efforts to promote football.

He said the previous PFF management’s negligence had resulted in Pakistan being left out of FIFA’s “Vision Asia” programme but that “we are making efforts to make amends”.

He said a full-fledged PFF office is now functioning at the football stadium adjacent to Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore and PFF was now also focussing attention on giving priority to areas where football was more popular.

Makhdoom said AFC chief will be due in Pakistan in January for the ground-breaking of FIFA’s “Goal-Project” in Lahore and “we will further discuss with him the issue of contract of some football coaches with us and other promotional matters”.