CAF team arrives for bid inspection
Mqondisi Dube | Saturday July 15, 2023 06:00
Technical bid committee chairperson, Ashford Mamelodi said the itinerary of the delegation has not been shared. “The CAF team of inspectors is expected in Botswana for three days from July 20-22, 2023. Further details are awaited from CAF regarding the size and names of the PwC (PriceWaterhouseCoopers) delegation.
[The] Programme [is] also to be agreed with CAF,” Mamelodi said. The technical bid committee has travelled to Abidjan, Ivory Coast for the 45th CAF Ordinary General Assembly where they are expected to canvass for Botswana’s bid. The 2025 and 2027 AFCON bids were the subject of discussions during a CAF executive meeting in Morocco last week.
The hosts of the two editions will be announced next month. Botswana is fancying its chances against a joint bid from East Africa, where Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda have teamed up while Algeria is the other contestant after the recent withdrawal of Egypt.
Botswana has a strong case as only two southern African countries have hosted the AFCON finals in the tournament's long history, with the first edition held in Sudan in 1957.
Only Angola and South Africa have hosted a tournament that has largely remained the preserve of North and West Africa. However, on locations, the East Africa bid will edge it as the tournament has never been hosted in that region. In terms of existing facilities, Algeria appears to have an upper hand although Botswana has put up an impressive bid, promising eye-catching stadia to be built across the country. Meanwhile, the CAF Ordinary General Assembly kicked off yesterday in Abidjan, where former legends were in attendance for the World Cup draw.