Gratifying, Pakistan’s football to be used in WC 2022: PM

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said it was gratifying that the football (Al Rihla), which will be used in the World Cup 2022 was made in the city of Sialkot in Pakistan. 

In a tweet on social media platform Twitter, the Premier said the ball that was used in the World Cup 2014 and then World Cup 2018 was also made in Pakistan. 

من دواعي السرور أن كرة القدم (الرحلة) والتي ستستخدم في (مونديال قطر ٢٠٢٢م)، تم صناعتها في (باكستان)، في مدينة (سيالكوت)، كذلك الكرة التي تم اللعب بها في (مونديال البرازيل ٢٠١٤م)، ومن ثم (مونديال روسيا ٢٠١٨م) كانت قد صُنعت في باكستان. #Qatar2022 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/VABhAPagUi

— محمد شهباز شريف (@ShehbazAr) July 2, 2022

It is the third time that the brand of ‘Forward Sports’— a Sialkot-based leading exports firm— would be used in the FIFA World Cup. The design of football is as per the culture of Qatar and as the world currently moving towards sustainability, the material used in its manufacturing was a bio-based recycling material. 

As per officials, no solvent chemicals were used in football making but water-based chemicals—which do not pollute the environment.  

The ball, consisting of 20 panels, was declared one of the best footballs in the world.  

Traditionally, footballs for the World Cup were hand-stitched, until “thermos bonding,” a new technology, was first introduced in the 2014 World Cup.