02 Aug 2023

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) inspection team for the hosting of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) arrives today to start inspections of facilities.

Speaking at a press conference August 2, the chairperson of the Bid Committee (BidCo), Ashford Mamelodi said the team would start inspections in Francistown and Kasane on Friday before heading back to Gaborone and Lobatse for more inspections on Saturday.

“On Sunday, they will then fly to Nigeria and Benin, who have also entered the race as co-hosts to do inspections there,” he said.

He said some of the facilities that the team would inspect included stadia, hospitals, training grounds and hotels among others.

On how Nigeria/Benin as well as Senegal managed to enter the race late, Mamelodi indicated that they also tried to sniff around for answers when they heard the issue for the first time at the CAF congress in Abidjan last month, but could not get a definite answer.

“These are issues you don’t try to pursue too much. What is important is that we are in the race and we are confident that so far, we have done all that is necessary to have a chance to win the bid,” he explained when pressed by journalist whether Botswana was not sitting on her rights by failing to seek answers on the matter.

He also said that at the CAF congress in Abidjan, they managed to meet 18 out of the 22 football association presidents, and that they were confident that they made a good impression.

“Many of those were met were very impressed with our bid book, which forms a vital part of the bidding process,” he said.

Mamelodi also assured the nation that the BidCo would work hard to lobby for a vote until the very end, even if it took making another round of visits to voting associations across the continent.

Mamelodi further appreciated the media for its patriotism as it has been supportive of the bid from the onset.

The host nations for both the 2025 and 2027 AFCONs will be announced next month. ENDS