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Pakistan: World capital of the football makers

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July 7, 2014

Sialkot in Pakistan: It all began with a few clever artisans who made footballs for British soldiers when Pakistan was still a part of India under British rule. Over time, Sialkot has become the global market leader in hand-stitched soccer balls.

Some 35 million footballs a year are sent out from Pakistan to places all over the world. For the people who sew them it has, at least, brought some stability. Most of the balls are made in workers' homes. It used to be mainly children who had to stitch the balls. Now monitors make unannounced checks to make sure that's no longer the case.

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