Pakistan to produce World Cup soccer balls

May 21, 2014 07:06 pm | Updated June 04, 2014 03:23 pm IST - New Delhi

Pakistan may be known as a cricketing nation but not many know that the soccer balls for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil will be imported from the 159th-ranked football nation.

When World Cup’s Chinese supplier Adidas failed to keep up with the demand of soccer balls in Rio de Janeiro, a report in ‘Express Tribune’ said that a Sialkot ball manufacturing company then stepped in and got the contract.

Factory owner Khwaja Akhtar, who has made balls for the German Bundesliga, French league and the Champions League, is excited with the challenge of being a part of World Cup soccer history.

“It was when I felt the roar of the crowd at the 2006 World Cup that I dreamt of a goal of my own: to manufacture the ball for the biggest football tournament on the planet,” Akhtar said.

“The people were chanting all around me. I just thought, this is the real thing. I was part of the crowd. I never had that kind of feeling before,” added Akhtar.

Sialkot, a town in eastern Pakistan, was once the unassailable soccer ball production capital of the world -- exporting about 30 million balls a year, an estimated 40 percent of global production -- but India and China have recently caught up.

In December 2013, Brazil unveiled the latest soccer ball for the 2014 edition -- the Brazuca -- on the official FIFA World Cup website.

The Brazuca features a striking new design and new panel system. Six identical interlocking panels make up the ball’s synthetic surface, thermally bonded to keep out moisture.

The month-long tournament, which kickstarts on June 12, has 32 of the worlds best sides locking horns in the most watched event in sports.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.