Bangladesh, Pakistan celebrate shared passion for football

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) and Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka jointly celebrated the shared passion for football yesterday (8 July).

On the occasion, Pakistani High Commissioner in Dhaka Imran Haider handed over 1,000 Made-in-Pakistan footballs to BFF President Tabith Awal.

In speech, the high commissioner highlighted that Sialkot of Pakistan enjoys worldwide recognition for manufacturing premium quality sports goods, including footballs, and has the distinction of producing the official match balls for the FIFA World Cups in 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.

He noted that Pakistan's football manufacturing industry is globally renowned for its quality, craftsmanship, and innovation, making it a proud symbol of the country's industrial excellence, according to the Pakistan High Commission.

The Pakistan envoy expressed confidence that these high-quality match balls will further inspire and complement the enthusiasm of Bangladeshi youth for the game.

Imran Haider and Tabith Awal also exchanged views on enhancing bilateral cooperation in the field of sports.

They agreed that greater collaboration will help strengthen people-to-people contacts, particularly among the youth of the two countries.

The Pakistan envoy and the BFF chief discussed potential avenues of cooperation, including sports medicine, international friendly matches, sports commerce, capacity-building initiatives and exchange of college/university teams.

To commemorate the occasion, the BFF organised an exhibition match featuring Under-17 women's football teams. The high commissioner applauded the players for their enthusiasm, talent and promising potential.

BFF President Tabith Awal thanked High Commissioner Imran Haider for the generous gift of footballs and stated that they will be distributed expeditiously among young footballers across the country to help promote the game at the grassroots level.