Botswana to host COSAFA Cup
Mqondisi Dube | Wednesday August 30, 2017 16:19
The minister wrote on his Facebook page that the COSAFA Cup is coming to Gaborone in 2018, which has excited soccer fans.
“As part of our commitment to grow sport through participation and exposure, I am pleased to inform you that next year, we are going to host the COSAFA Castle Cup here in Gaborone.
“Let us all prepare for it as early as now. Sports in our country is growing in leaps and bounds. Thank you so much for always rallying behind our teams of different codes,” Olopeng said.
He told Mmegi Sport yesterday that despite the tournament being sponsored by Castle, he managed to convince Cabinet, as there are benefits from hosting the competition.
The government’s position is that alcohol producing companies cannot sponsor sports.
“It’s a government position, which is a good position. I presented to my Cabinet colleagues (on the hosting) and they accepted it. These are the companies that have the money to sponsor sports. I recently attended the Carling Cup in South Africa at the invitation of Bobby Motaung, I never saw a lot of alcohol advertising during the game,” Olopeng said.
He said he will continue to lobby the government in a bid to allow alcohol producers to sponsor sports and contribute to its growth.
Meanwhile, Botswana Football Association public relations and marketing manager, Tumo Mpatane said they have expressed interest in hosting the tournament. “We have expressed interest and are in talks with the government. We have one or two areas to finalise, but this is a high level discussion at the moment,” Mpatane said. Botswana was prepared to host the tournament in 2015, but reports were that government’s position regarding a ban on alcohol companies sponsoring sports, had scuppered the deal.
It is unclear if the government’s position has shifted, which will pave way for next year’s tournament in Botswana. The country previously hosted the Under-20 COSAFA Cup in 2011 when it was sponsored by Metropolitan.