Botswana is pulling all stops to impress a three-member CAF delegation that arrives in the country tomorrow to inspect the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations bid facilities.
Briefing the media in Gaborone today, bid committee chairperson, Ashford Mamelodi said the inspectors will be treated as 'VVIP' with Botswana targeting a lasting impression.
Omar El Ghiati from CAF will be in the company of auditors, Adam Vogtekorski and Sophie Vutien from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The CAF inspectors will touch down in Gaborone tomorrow and immediately be treated like royalty, according to Mamelodi and Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture director of sport, Moreetsi Bogosi.
The three will be welcomed at the airport by BFA president, Maclean Letshwiti and other officials, before being treated to dinner with Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare.
On Friday, a chartered flight has been booked to take the CAF officials to Francistown for a tour of the facilities. They will then leave for Kasane where they will stay overnight. Before departure there will be a technical brief by the bid technical committee. On Saturday, they fly back to Gaborone for inspections in the capital and Lobatse, before they leave the country on Sunday to continue inspections in other bidding nations. Kasane was not part of the itinerary but the bid committee, according to Mamelodi, requested that it be added to the schedule.
Bogosi said there is need to ensure the best treatment for the CAF crew, whose report will be key to Botswana's chances of hosting the tournament. "They will be VIPs the moment they step into the plane in Johannesburg to Gaborone. They will not go through normal protocols at the airport," Bogosi said. It was a view shared by Mamelodi. "For these three, it will be different.
There will be a dedicated help desk for them. They will be well looked after," Mamelodi said. There are five bids for the 2027 AFCON finals with Botswana battling a joint bid from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, a solo effort from Algeria, Senegal, and a combined bid from Benin and Algeria. The CAF executive committee will make its final decision on the preferred host next month.
