Pakistan’s first ‘soccer city stadium’ has now included the addition of an athletics track in the scheme.
As reported in early January, Karachi is set to receive the stadium through a deal that was agreed in association with the planned formation of a new football league in the country. Global Soccer Ventures (GSV), which is behind the new league, entered into a 10-year deal with the Karachi-based NED University of Engineering & Technology (NED) for the stadium project.
Footballing icon Michael Owen is involved in the project as a brand ambassador of GSV, and the former England international travelled to Pakistan to be part of a series of announcements for the revelations.
However, some aspects of the plans have come under scrutiny due to the presence of an athletics track raising questions of how it will offer a football-specific experience.
Athletics tracks may not be football-related by any stretch of the imagination, however you do see them in many different football stadiums around the world and they can prove very resourceful for a nation.
For example, the Stadio Olimpico, home to Serie A clubs AS Roma and Lazio, is predominantly a football stadium that has been around since 1927, but the athletics track inside it has proved extremely resourceful to the nation of Italy, as it is the most used stadium in the country for athletic and Olympic tournaments.
The stadium has a massive capacity of over 70,000 and with the athletics track included, has become one of the more noticeable and attractive stadiums in the world.
Whilst the critique of an athletics track at the proposed Karachi stadium is understandable, it could be a variant that might see it become more attractive and familarised worldwide.
NED University vice-chancellor, Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi:
“The (athletics) track is valuable to us,” he said.
“We are engineers and we will build engineering solutions around it.
“There are regulations that have been followed for public-private partnerships, the facility will be ours but it will operate on joint-usage with it being handed to the GSV during the PFL.”
The new football league in Pakistan is expected to be introduced with just six teams, which was unveiled by GSV last year.