15 Jan 2023

A consultant, who will audit the facilities for the Botswana-Namibia AFCON 2027 (BONA 2027) joint bid has been identified.

BONA 2027 bid committee chairperson, Ashford Mamelodi, revealed in an interview that facilities audit entail visiting both countries to ascertain their preparedness to host AFCON.

He said the audit would assess playing facilities and advice on the appropriate facilities needed to host AFCON.

Mamelodi said the consultant would also look into whether there was need for the countries to construct a 40 000 capacity seater stadia or alternatively renovate or rebuild what they already had.

Beyond the playing facilities, Mamelodi said the consultant would also assess the status of, among other things, roads infrastructure, hospitals, airports, hotels and distance between the proposed locations where the teams would stay and the training grounds.

He said the AFCON was a crowd puller and that some of the teams commanded magnitudes of supporters and therefore the two countries must be ready for such eventualities.

Mamelodi said the recommendations that will be born from the audit report would ultimately attach cost implications.

He added that if a 40 000 seater stadiums would be recommended the audit report would also guide on where such a facility must be located and its projected cost.

As such, Mamelodi said it was of paramount importance for the facilities audit to begin in earnest and as early as possible.

He added that it was important to be informed on the starting date of the audit and how it was to be conducted in the two countries. ENDS