Soccer:
‘A game played on a field between two teams of 11 players each with the object to propel a round ball into the opponent’s goal by kicking or by hitting it with any part of the body except the hands and arms.’
Karachi: A Soccer City
Karachi will see a brand new sports arena landscape in its skyline, which will not only offer FIFA international playing conditions but will also offer an enduring football experience for fans and players with a raft of marketing and technology opportunities for brands.
- GSV, NED University sign a historic $12 million agreement.
- A 10-year agreement was signed to establish the country’s first soccer stadium in Karachi.
- Michael Owen inaugurates the first soccer city at NED university in Karachi.
-GSV, NED University sign a historic $12 million agreement:
Global Soccer Ventures (GSV) and NED University of Engineering and Technology (NED) held the ground-breaking ceremony of the iconic landmark stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.
This marks the beginning of construction work on building the first stadium of the 10-year agreement to create the first soccer city stadium in Pakistan.
The stadium is the first step for the GSV to hold its proposed PFL. It is on similar lines to cricket’s glitzy Pakistan Super League.
Apart from the PFL, GSV has also joined hands with the government in its Kamyab Jawan programme. It holds talent hunts across the country to find the best 20 under-19 players who will go on to train with the Irish club St Patrick’s Athletic.
GSV garner has seen strong support from the government and the Pakistan Army to push ahead with its plans to hold the PFL. But it has failed to strike a deal with the FIFA-appointed Pakistan Football Federation Normalisation Committee.
– A 10-year agreement was signed to establish the country’s first soccer stadium in Karachi :
GSV had earlier inked a 10-year deal with the court-elected PFF of Ashfaq Hussain Shah. His takeover of the PFF headquarters from the NC saw FIFA suspend Pakistan in April last year.
The suspension will continue until the PFF headquarters is returned to the NC. Ashfaq and his group of officials, came to power after the Supreme Court held an election of the PFF which wasn’t recognized by FIFA. They have been evicted from the office themselves due to an issue surrounding its lease agreement.
That effectively means that the contract signed between GSV and Ashfaq’s PFF is up in the air. But while the government is supporting the PFF NC, it is also backing GSV to promote football in the country.
– Michael Owen inaugurates the First Soccer city at NED university in Karachi.
A winner of the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2001, Michael Owen who is in Pakistan, inaugurated the first soccer city in Karachi and said that his presence proves that Pakistan is a safe country.
Owen arrived in Karachi from Islamabad this morning on a private jet. He attended the inauguration ceremony of the first soccer city at NED University as a chief guest.
Speaking to the media on the occasion, Michael Owen said that Pakistan is a safe place. He will return to the country and will also inform the world about the country’s hospitality.
The Vice-Chancellor of NED University Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi, along with sponsors and members of the private company were also present.
Michael Owen inaugurated Soccer City by netting a goal on the university football ground.
Michael Owen will also visit the football ground in Lyari.
-Speaking on occasion, NED University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi said:
“It is a vision that only GSV can bring to life. I have seen the science and evolution of football on offer and it will be a major transformation for football in Pakistan”.
-Meanwhile, GSV Chairman Yasir Mahmood said:
“It is time Pakistan rediscovers itself in football infrastructure offering the much needed professional and world-class facilities.”
-Shedding light on the development, former English footballer Michael Owen, who is also the ambassador of the Pakistan Football League, said:
“There is nothing more important than having home and away fans in football stadiums.”
“This investment will not only ignite inter-city football rivalry but will also become the future of football development all over Pakistan with sports science at the forefront offering international opportunities,” he said.
