Botswana's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations bid is truly and firmly on the way. What has been said or continue being said now matters little as a nation unites behind a bid that could see 24 teams converge in Botswana for the 2027 football carnival.
CAF inspectors were in the country from last week Thursday to get a first hand feel of what Botswana has to offer compared to what the other rivals have. Briefing the media midweek, bid committee chairperson, Ashford Mamelodi expressed his confidence that Botswana has put up a compelling case to win the rights to host CAF's flagship tournament.
Critics and supporters of the bid will converge and put their differences aside once Botswana is announced as the next host of the AFCON finals.
It will be a dream come true for a country that is still in the early steps of a long ladder to success in continental football.
Hosting the AFCON will come with enormous benefits as outlined by the bid committee, which include fast tracking infrastructure developments as well as jettisoning the game in the right direction. Initially, Botswana had to contend with Algeria and a joint bid from East African nations, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
It was a three-horse race, but the bid committee recently learnt about the entry of two more competitors in the form of a joint bid from Nigeria and Benin as well as Senegal.
The competition is tough but if I had my way, I will trim the contestants to only two.
This is purely on geography, where the trio of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda has never hosted the tournament since it was first played in 1957. Botswana too has never had a taste. Again, the AFCON hosting has been a preserve of the North and West African countries, with only Angola, Ethiopia and South Africa being the exception.
If CAF, which has been for long, under the Robert Mugabe of football, Issa Hayatou, is serious about spreading the hosting rights around, this is the time to walk the talk. More so, CAF is now under the leadership of a son of the southern African soil, Patrice Motsepe. While he must not be seen to be doing his region a favour, history will judge him well if Botswana hosts the competition while a Mokgatla is at the helm. The fear is that the bidding can get dirty with under hand tactics used. It cannot be ruled out that brown envelopes will be exchanged, judging by what has obtained in the past. The awarding of the World Cup rights to Qatar was shrouded in controversy amid claims of bribery.
However, we trust that under Motsepe, the integrity of CAF has been restored and we can only pray for a fair process. But amid the pensive mood ahead of the announcement of the 2027 hosts next month, Botswana must be proud that it has a colossal trump card in the form of Ashford Mamelodi. Mamelodi is a man of impeccable credentials who traversed the length and breadth of the continent during his time as FIFA Development Officer.
The continent knows him and he also knows the continent like the back of his hand. The hope is that this translates to a positive influence as the bid committee sells its pitch to CAF executive members.
No one can do it better than ‘Dumba’, an outstanding figure from whichever angle you look at it. His presence cannot be ignored and fingers are crossed that the next feather in his cap will be landing Botswana its finest moment; the rights to host the 2027 AFCON finals.
