Saturday, February 8, 2025

Botswana to submit CAF bid book tomorrow

Botswana 2027 Africa Cup of Nations bid committee will submit the country’s bid book document to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) tomorrow, Monday. 

BID committee chairperson, Ashford Mamelodi assured Sunday Standard Sport that all systems are in place for the committee to submit before the deadline. He says the bid book is ready and will be delivered today (Sunday).

“The plan is that we leave Gaborone on Ethiopia Airlines on Sunday to submit it on Monday 22, 2023, a day before the set deadline for submission,” Mamelodi explains.

The Bid Committee chairman says he will be accompanied by Geoffrey Gare to deliver the bid book. The latter is attached to BIDCO from the Ministry of Sport. He says they could be going with the BFA CEO but he will be engaged on the day when the bid is submitted.

After submission, CAF will be expected to undertake its own inspection of the facilities and the plots earmarked for building stadia. “During the inspection consultants will be the ones explaining everything to CAF,” Mamelodi says. The verdict of who will host the Afcon 2027 finals is expected to be announced later this year in September.

Still on the bid, Tuelo Serufho BID spokesperson, denies the allegations that the 40 000-seater stadium is earmarked for Gabane. “The decision on where to build the facility lies with government. It is a political decision. What I know is that we need a 40 000-seater stadium in or around Gaborone,” he says.

New facilities are planned to be built in Greater Gaborone, Maun and Kasane. The bid book will outline what is needed with costs estimations on the projects to be done.

“Construction of facilities will start immediately after winning the bid. We cannot construct before knowing the outcome of the bid. If we are awarded the bid everything should start in earnest to avoid any delays and meet set deadlines,” says Mamelodi.

Botswana is bidding solo after Namibia pulled out sighting budgetary constraints.

When addressing a press conference recently, the minister of Sport, Tumiso Rakgare was adamant about hosting the continental showpiece because hosting is in line with the aspirations of the country to show case the potential of the country in hosting major sporting events.

The country will be locked in a four-way competition for the rights to host the tournament. Aside from Botswana, CAF has also received an expression of interest from the tripartite of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania as well as solo bids from Egypt and Algeria. The latter has also put in another bid to host the Afcon 2025 finals.

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