FIFA fever: Pakistani fans flock to Brazil to witness biggest sporting carnival

Ambassador says Brazil has issued visas to 200 people from Pakistan, while rest are coming from other parts of world.

ISLAMABAD: Around 500 excited Pakistani fans are travelling to Brazil to witness the biggest sporting carnival- the 2014 FIFA Football World Cup, Brazilian Ambassador in Pakistan Alfredo Leoni said on Thursday.

"We have issued visas to around 200 people from Pakistan, while the rest of Pakistanis are travelling to our country from other parts of the world," Leoni told Rawalpindi Islamabad Sports Journalists Association (RISJA) here at Brazilian Embassy.

A RISJA delegation led by its chairperson, Syed Ehteshamul Haq and President Nasir Raja called on Brazilian Ambassador and presented him a souvenir in connection with FIFA World Cup that rolls into action in Brazil on Thursday.

Leoni praised Pakistan for supplying the balls for the World Cup and added that he was optimistic that the friendship and economic ties between the two countries would bolster in the years to come.

He said football is the world's most popular sport and the fact that FIFA chose Pakistan to manufacture footballs for the World Cup tournament is not only an honour for Pakistan but also for him.

"Though Pakistan is 164th ranked soccer team, it has left all others behind in production of quality balls. I feel proud to be Ambassador in a country whose 100 percent balls would be used in the FIFA World Cup," he added.

Pakistan produces around 70 percent of the total number of hand-made soccer balls in the world. Around the time of the World Cup the production jumps to more than 60 million balls. Sialkot is the hub of the country's football manufacturing industry.

Apart from producing footballs, cricket bats, and badminton rackets for domestic consumption, this small town also exports to the rest of the world.

Syed Ehtesham and Nasir Raja said that Brazil is amongst the top favorites in the 32-nation event and expressed their good wishes for Brazilian team and the nation. Brazil has come a long way since 2010 with a young squad eager to dominate in the international arena.

Correction: In an earlier version of this story, it was erroneously mentioned that Brazil has given waiver on visas to Pakistani fans. The error has been fixed.