Bid committee chairperson, Ashford Mamelodi acknowledged the tough task ahead with his committee working around the clock to compile a bid book, which is due to be presented to CAF.
Speaking during the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) annual general meeting this week, Mamelodi said CAF has not yet opened the bid or informed them of the requirements around the event.
“In other words, the Botswana Football Association (BFA) and the Namibia Football Association (NFA) have not been invited to bid. Morocco is bidding for AFCON 2025, which was withdrawn from Guinea,” he said.
Mamelodi said the reason why the bid committee was assembled is to develop a bid book, which will be presented to the CAF executive committee to convince the continental body that Botswana and Namibia are ready to host the tournament. Mamelodi said it took them a long time to find people to assist with the facilities audit. “You can now understand why the audit is important.
How do we go forward with the bid book to show to CAF what we think will be adequate when we do not actually know how far behind we are? The facilities audit was absolutely essential,” he said.
Mamelodi said the criteria that CAF will use when they evaluate the BONA bid is whether both countries comply with their stringent requirements. Mamelodi said there are three budgets; the bid committee budget, the hosting budget and the infrastructure budget. He said infrastructure development would escalate the budget for the bid, admitting it was going to be difficult to win the hosting rights. “Some of the CAF requirements are for the final to be played in a 45,000-seater capacity stadium.
Our National Stadium does not have that capacity and we should build a new facility in Gaborone or Greater Gaborone,” he said. Mamelodi said the proposed venues should be audited and be sufficiently up to standard to host AFCON finals. He said Namibia will host the opening game and Botswana will take the final in the Greater Gaborone.
He said it was getting difficult to find a suitable venue within Gaborone city. Other facilities in Botswana are in Lobatse, Francistown and Maun while Namibia facilities are in Windhoek and Swakopmund. He said the Obed Itani Stadium is in good condition but will need a few modifications but the Maun Sports Complex is a non-starter.
He said there should be a new stadium built. “Some of you might [ask] why we bid when it requires a lot of money. Trust me, it is a lot of money. Based on previous experience it is in [our best interest] to enhance our country and obviously Namibia’s profile [wins] on issues of business and tourism. We expect legacy projects like infrastructure development for future use. If we succeed, football in both countries will undergo a major facelift,” he said. Mamelodi said currently there are challenges with regards to facilities.
He said before the CAF inspection, only the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium met the set standards. He said following the recent CAF inspection things might change a bit for the National Stadium. “When I say 'met the level', it is for your standard CAF and national team games but when it comes to Africa Cup of Nations, it is a totally different standard,” he said.
He said when the job of the bid committee is completed, they will hand it over to the BFA and NFA to put together a Local Organising Committee (LOC). Diphetogo Selolwane, Jerome Ramatlhakwana, Bonang Otlhagile and Kefilwe Modisaotsile have been chosen as ambassadors from the Botswana side. The ambassadors will be unveiled on Monday.
