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By APD writer Muhammad Sohail
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 4 (APD) -- The Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Alexey Dedov confirmed on Sunday that Pakistan-made footballs will be used in the 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held later this year in Russia.
It will be a special moment of joy for Pakistanis when they will see footballs called Telstar 18 made in their own country being used to score goals in the international-level event.
A Pakistani company Forward Sports based in its eastern city of Sialkot is a contracting manufacturer of global sports brand Adidas and has promised on-time delivery of the footballs.
Forward Sports chairman Khawaja Masood said “this is an honor for us, that we are going to provide footballs for the world cup once again. We are very excited to meet this challenge.”
"Although Pakistan football team will not be participating in the forthcoming World Cup, its presence will be felt in all the matches because of the balls,” said Masood.
The announcement had come as little surprise as the footballs used at the tournament's 2014 session were also supplied by manufacturers based in Sialkot, a Pakistani city renowned world over for its thriving sports goods industry.
Traditionally, Pakistani footballs used to be hand-stitched, but that changed in 2013 when the industry partially switched to thermo bonded balls, whose panels are joined together through heat rather than stitches.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
