LAHORE, Sept 9: FIFA, Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and the NWFP Government will play a significant role of shouldering the financial burden of the FIFA Earthquake Project at Peshawar when full-fledged construction work on the project to be built under FIFA’s Hope Programme gets underway after Eidul Fitr.

PFF Secretary General Lt Col Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi while appreciating the gesture of NWFP Football Association’s President Syed Zahir Ali Shah for making possible the availability of land at Shahi Bagh, Peshawar, stated that FIFA Goal Project Development Officer Vernon Manilal Fernando has already approved of a well-known contractor for the construction work.

“The construction of the project will not only help in the promotion of football in NWFP but also help provide healthy sporting activity to the youngsters of the province thereby keeping them away from non-sporting, degenerating and immoral existing activities,” said Col Lodhi.

“The objective of the programme is to ensure that all federations have a national football centre, equipped to encourage the development of football and high-level competition, and FIFA has already approved over 300 such projects throughout the world,” he added.

FIFA has granted US $500,000 for the earthquake affected areas in Pakistan and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has pledged US $200,000.—Agencies