KARACHI, Oct 21: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has finally approved the summary for the allotment of the Hawkesbay land for the FIFA Goal Project II, Dawn learnt on Tuesday

Nasir Karim Baloch, Sindh Football Association’s (SFA) Chairman South, said that Sindh Minister for Katchi Abadis and SFA’s Chief Patron Rafiq Engineer had finally managed to get the CM’s approval for the allotment of the plot 13 A-1, located in Scheme 42 of Hawkesbay.

When contacted, Rafiq Engineer said: “I have been trying to get this land for a while now but was slowed down by illness. But I am glad it has finally happened.”

The decision comes almost one and a half months after the passing of the second deadline of Aug 31 (the first one passed on July 31) fixed by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) regarding possession of the land. But when asked if the PFF would still allow the project to go ahead after the deadline, the federation’s Secretary-General Col Ahmed Yar Lodhi seemed optimistic.

“Yes, we are all very glad for this to have happened. It is a big project after all and it will go a long way for the uplift of football in the country. Just 10 to 15 minutes away from Lyari, the hub of football in Karachi, it has an ideal location as well,” he said from Lahore.

The PFF had chosen the said piece of land at Hawkesbay after having given up on their first choice at Trans Lyari Park or Gutter Bagheecha.

The Secretary-General had himself come down to Karachi from Lahore to survey and approve the land in July. His only reservations about it then was the dry and salty air in the region making grass difficult to grow there but he had resolved to request FIFA for an additional Rs20 to 30 million grant for an Astroturf over the already approved $4,00,000 for the project.

“Now we are only awaiting the lease documents to be issued by the City District Government Karachi (CDGK). The construction work would begin soon after SFA Chairman Ghulam Abbas Baloch puts his signature on the lease,” he said.

Besides having a FIFA House, the project will have a block including bungalows for officials along with a spacious hostel for the visiting teams and several sporting facilities such as an indoor gymnasium with sophisticated training equipment and a swimming pool. The architectural plans for the project have already been approved by FIFA.