From left to right: Local construction company Khmer Nihong Managing Director Chea Chhun Hong, FFC General Secretary Ouk Sethy Cheat and FIFA Acting Development Officer Domeka Garamendi attend Cambodia’s third FIFA GOAL Project signing ceremony at the Sunway Hotel in Phnom Penh on Monday morning.

The Football Federation of Cambodia received US$400,000 from international governing body FIFA during a signing ceremony at the Sunway Hotel on Monday morning. It is the third grant of the same amount given to the federation as part of FIFA’s GOAL Project, an initiative that assists countries around the world to construct technical facilities for the development and continued progress of football activities.

The latest sum is said to go towards the construction of two accommodation buildings and one dressing room at new 15-hectare National Football Center located in Bati district, Takeo province.

The FFC received the first contribution from FIFA in 2002 for the construction of its current headquarters in Chaeng Meng commune on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. The second handout was approved on February 2008 and used for the construction of two pitches, an accommodation building, a changing room and a dining room at the Takeo centre.

Documents were co-signed during Monday’s ceremony by Domeka Garamendi, Acting Development Officer of FIFA Development Office in Kuala Lumpur, Ouk Sethy Cheat, General Secretary of the FFC, Chea Chhun Hong, Managing Director of local construction company Khmer Nihong, and Phin Vichearavudh, president of Phin Ravudh Team Consultant.

Garamendi noted the significant achievements of the FFC in the two previous projects. “The FFC used FIFA Goal Project in the right direction. They did a great job and finished on time,” he said, adding that FIFA would be increasing the grant amounts to $500,000 from now on and that Cambodia are in line to collect a fourth.

FFC General Secretary Ouk Sethy Cheat said: “We will try our best and hope to get more support from FIFA. When we have enough infrastructures, our human resources will be at the top level.”