The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has pledged to extend a substantial sum of money to Sri Lanka to construct a football stadium on international standard with modern facilities. This pledge was made by the President of AFC Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa who was on a visit to Sri Lanka last week.
This exciting news was announced in a media release after the AFC president had met Sunil Kumar Gamage the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs at the Shangri-La Hotel on April 3.
AFC will be working closely with the Sports Ministry to ensure the construction of the football stadium becomes a reality. They also plan to bring down world class facilities that will enhance the development of the game in Sri Lanka as well.
An international stadium is crucial for the development of the game. Sri Lanka will also be looking forward to host major international tournaments to be played among foreign teams. This will also provide the local players the opportunity to compete against international teams that will help improve their standards.
The meeting with Sheikh Khalifa also involved the president of Football Sri Lanka (FSL) Jaswar Umar and deputy sports minister Sugath Thillakaratne. Sheikh Khalifa understands the economic challenges faced by many Asian football bodies that hinders the development of the sport.
