25 Apr 2022

Confederation of African Football president, Patrice Motsepe, has expressed his desire for Botswana to host Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
 This came to light in a press briefing after the South African mining billionaire businessman, who is in the country for the Forbes Under 30 Summit, met with sport, gender, youth and culture minister, Tumiso Rakgare yesterday.
Motsepe said bidding for AFCON should not solely be about football, but should also act as a marketing tool for Botswana to the world.
He further said he would like Botswana to partner with another country to bid for AFCON.
Meanwhile, Botswana and Namibia have agreed to bid as co-hosts of the continental football showpiece to be held in 2027.
Motsepe also indicated that football provided inspiration, therefore, hosting countries would be required to build infrastructure. He added that football and economic development were intertwined and could not be separated.
“It has been proven that the sport has the potential to create jobs and also add value to the economy,” Motsepe said, adding that was, therefore, important to allocate more resources to the development of football, which he termed ‘a tool of pride and dignity’.
Having met with President Mokgweetsi Masisi, Motsepe said he realised that the former was committed to the development of the game, an area he deemed important for the country to focus on.
“We discussed several issues with President Masisi and I leave with a sense of pride.
I must also commend Botswana Football Association president, Maclean Letshwiti for his sterling leadership in football,” he said.
On Botswana’s participation in the continental showpiece, Motsepe said he desired to see the national team finishing at least in the semi-finals at one of the AFCON finals.
For his part, Rakgare also reiterated the importance of football development, hence the pronouncement he made in 2019 that school sport was government’s key priority.
The Africa Cup of Nations is the biggest football showpiece in Africa and the next championship is pencilled for June/July 2023 in Cote d’Ivoire, with about 24 teams taking part. ENDS