July 30, 2008	Wednesday	Rajab 26, 1429

KARACHI, July 29: Pakistan Football Federation’s (PFF) FIFA Goal Project II, after several failed negotiations with the Karachi City District Government, is back on track with Sindh Football Association’s (SFA) efforts in acquiring a big enough land for the project here.

SFA treasurer Naeem Bakhsh Baloch told Dawn on Tuesday, “After trying our best to get possession of the 10-acre amenity plot at the Trans Lyari Park or Gutter Bagheecha, as it is commonly known, we decided to shift gears and start looking elsewhere.”

He added, “The FIFA Goal Project II also includes a football stadium, which could not be possible at the Gutter Bagheecha as the district authorities had already planned a housing scheme for their officers on the amenity plot.

“The authorities were only willing to part with four acres of land, and a football stadium alone takes up to four-and-a-half acres.”

While providing further information about the new site, SFA South’s chairman Nasir Karim Baloch said: “It is located in Scheme 42 of Hawkesbay. The plot number is 13 A-1.

“Our meeting with Karachi DCO Javed Hanif Khan on Friday was very successful.

“After the meeting the DCO, Sindh Minister for Katchi Abadis and SFA’s chief patron Rafiq Engineer, SFA chairman Ghulam Abbas Baloch, Naeem Bakhsh, myself, and a number of current and former international footballers such as the all-time great President’s Pride of Performance holder Ali Nawaz visited the site on Sunday,” he said.

Meanwhile, speaking to Dawn from Lahore, a much-satisfied PFF secretary general Col Ahmed Yar Lodhi said: “With most of the paperwork completed, the allotment of the land is as good as confirmed.

“We already have verbal sanction after Rafiq Engineer’s phone call to me and my telephonic conversation with the DCO.

“Now we only await the return from holiday of the Karachi director-general, who is expected back any day, for the possession to be handed over to us,” the PFF secretary general said.

While commenting on being unable to get the land at Gutter Bagheecha, Col Lodhi said: “Keeping future prospects in mind, this place is better than the earlier one as it also has the beach nearby, which could later be utilised for beach soccer.”

Col Lodhi will be reaching Karachi along with other PFF officials on Thursday to survey the site himself as well as watch that day’s Pakistan Premier Football League encounter between KESC and Wapda at the People’s Sports Complex.

The site was visited again on Tuesday afternoon by Naeem Bakhsh, flown to Karachi to survey the place on the directive of PFF President Faisal Saleh Hayat, and other SFA officials.

Apart from accommodating a football stadium, the said plot will have a FIFA House, a block including bungalows for officials along with a spacious hostel for visiting teams. It will also have many sporting facilities such as an indoor gymnasium with sophisticated training equipment and a swimming pool, architectural plans for which have already been approved by FIFA which has granted US $400,000 for the project.