KHANEWAL: Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) president Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat said that the state-of-the-art FIFA academy and football ground, inaugurated here on Wednesday, will set the tone for the development of football in the country.

“The PFF will carry on its efforts to promote the game, groom talent and develop playing facilities across the country,” Hayat said after laying the foundation for the Rs7.75 million project spread across eight acres.

The training centre is being financed by world football governing body FIFA with the land being allocated by the district government. It will have full boarding and lodging facility for 200 players under the FIFA Goal Project.

The PFF will bear the maintenance and running costs for the academy, which would be completed in one-and-half year.

“We’ll also try to bring international events to Khanewal once the project is completed,” Hayat added. “The project would provide a golden opportunity for the youth of the region to show their talent.”

The academy is one of eight being built under the FIFA Goal Project across the country. Other centres are being built at Sukkur, Jacobabad, Quetta, Abbottabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2014