Sri Lanka’s first ever purpose built football training facility will be declared open in Ariyalai Jaffna today by visiting FIFA Head, Sepp Blatter.
The president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Qatar Football Federation, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and several other member association presidents from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UAE and Saudi Arabia, will be in attendance along with other top FIFA and AFC officials.
Sri Lanka’s first ever purpose built football training facility will be declared open in Ariyalai Jaffna today by visiting FIFA Head, Sepp Blatter. The president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Qatar Football Federation, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and several other member association presidents from Japan, Korea, Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UAE and Saudi Arabia, will be in attendance along with other top FIFA and AFC officials.
Blatter who will fly out to Jaffna this morning, subsequent to meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, will conclude his whirlwind tour of Sri Lanka at a celebration in Colombo to commemorate local football’s 75th anniversary.
Initiated in 2010, the Jaffna Stadium and training facility is funded by FIFA and the German Embassy. ‘It will not only enable the youth of the area to hone their football skills, but it is a testament to National Reconciliation”, said FFSL President, Ranjith Rodrigo, who together with his team and a workforce of over 60 men and women, have been working round the clock to prepare the venue for today’s ceremonial opening.
The Minister of Sports, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Army chiefs and other dignitaries are expected to attend today’s ceremony in Jaffna.
