Sialkot is Pakistan’s 12th most heavily populated city. It is situated in the east of the province of Punjab. The success story of Sialkot diligences is grounded on the incomparable talent and craftsmanship of home-grown wage earner. It is amongst the most technologically-advanced regions of the country and is also regarded as to be a much rather prosperous zone in comparison with other cities of South Asia. All over the world, the city of Sialkot is well-known for the manufacture of some of the finest, world-class quality sports goods and is deemed to have the largest football industry in the entire world.
In the 1980s, Sialkot reaped a worldwide celebrity standing when it manufactured the “Tango Ball” to be used in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, which took the football-creation industry on the path to even more success and growth.
Major international trademarks like Litto, Decathion, Puma, Umbro, Diadora, Nike, Adidas, Select, Wilsoms, Mitre and Micassa are locating their stock of footballs from this export-adapted city and core of cottage industry of the country.
In 2014, Sialkot made quite the breakthrough for Pakistan when it manufactured footballs namely ‘Brazuca,’ which qualified for use in the FIFA World Cup that year. ‘Brazuca’ is an off-the-record indigenous term meaning “Brazilian.” Brazuca was produced by Forward Sports Sialkot for Adidas, highlighting a ground-breaking 6 panel design crafted for every player on the field. The ball featured 6 matching panels combined with an exceptional surface that would offer improved grasp, touch, constancy and aerodynamics on the playing field.
So, it came as quite the amazement to the Pakistani people when the Russian Ambassador, Alexey Dedov, sang the praises of the excellence of sport goods that are being mass-produced in Pakistan.
In a statement earlier, Dedov said that his country would be honored to use footballs manufactured in the Pakistani city of Sialkot in matches of the FIFA World Cup, which is to be conducted in Russia this summer.
“We want to enhance our cooperation with Pakistan to other sectors as well,” Alexey Dedov further added.
This will be 21st FIFA World Cup, a worldwide football tournament wherein the national teams of the FIFA affiliates compete against each other. This year’s FIFA World Cup tournaments are being held in Russia, making it the first world cup to be coordinated in Europe after a lengthy hiatus since the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Photo Credit: Liz Claus
