AFTER MAKING GOOD on his organization’s promise, International Football Federation (Fifa) president Joseph “Sepp” Blatter now wants the Philippine Football Federation to do its “homework” in sustaining the development of the sport in the country.

“We are always ready to help, but you must also do your homework and start now,” Blatter told national football leaders yesterday at the inauguration of the Philippine Football House in Pasig City, which was built largely from a $400,000 aid from the Fifa Goal II Project.

The Swiss said the house, the 46th of its kind in Asia, underscores Fifa’s commitment to bridge the gap between the world football body’s developing members and its more advanced and cash-rich counterparts.

“I have always affirmed that football is a game that should be played by everyone with equal opportunity,” he added.

Blatter, who arrived together with Asian Football Confederation president Mohammad Bin Hammam of Qatar, also stressed the importance of the support from the government and the private sector in helping the sport flourish in the Philippines.

“Football transcends social, cultural, economic and political boundaries,” Blatter said.

Blatter also announced his plan to undertake a special project in Mindanao aimed at “promoting cultural understanding among the children because football can develop discipline and character.”

Hammam, meanwhile, said that the Philippines was now enrolled in AFC’s “Vision Asia,” a program aimed at improving Asian football standards.

He said AFC personnel would be coming over to the country in the next few months to assess the country’s needs under the plan.

PFF president Jose Mari Martinez said the association will be taking aggressive steps in the next few months to ensure that the vision of football becoming the second most popular sport in the country in four years moves closer to reality.

Martinez thanked Blatter and Fifa for fulfilling the PFF’s dream of “having a home of our very own.”

The PFF also launched the Filipino Premiere League in the presence of Blatter and Bin Hammam Saturday.