Forward-TH Sports plant is being built in the Andijan province, which will produce balls for FIFA and UEFA world tournaments. This was discussed at a meeting between the Uzbek Ambassador in Pakistan, Furkat Sidiqov with the owner of the Forward Group, Khawaja Masood Akhtar Monday, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Forward Sports is a Pakistani company that manufactures sports equipment, primarily soccer balls. It produces 700,000 balls per month for global brands including Adidas and many other world renowned brands. It has produced balls for many international events including UEFA Champions League on several occasions, and was the official provider of balls for FIFA World Cup 2014 and FIFA World Cup 2018.
Khwaja Masud Akhtar added that in 2018, the Uzbek-Pakistan joint venture which will produce Adidas brand balls for international football competitions and for the CIS market was set up in the Andijan province.
According to the Foreign Ministry, in order to ensure secrecy of its know-how and technologies, as well as maintain the highest quality of its goods, Forward Group does not normally invest in foreign countries.
“However, given the Uzbekistan' economic potential, it was decided to implement the first Forward Group foreign project in Uzbekistn,” the report says.
The plant project, launched in 2017, is said to have no analogues in the CIS and Europe. The equipment brought to Uzbekistan is unique and subject to trade secrets. It will produce 3,000 balls per month.