Good evening!
BOTSWANA Sports Minister Tumiso Rakgare has called on the Confederation of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) to support the Botswana- Namibia 2027 Africa Cup of Nations hosting bid.
Rakgare was speaking at the BONA (Botswana-Namibia) 2027 Afcon Bid dinner hosted at Daan Viljoen, Windhoek, Namibia by the Namibia Ministry of Sport on 13 May ahead of the Cosafa Annual General Meeting AGM that takes place on Saturday 14 May in Windhoek.
The joint bid to host Africa's prestigious football tournament, is christened BONA 2027 for Botswana and Namibia.
Rakgare reckons the rights to host the 2027 Afcon will give the Cosafa region a new lease of life.
"This is not a bid for Botswana or for Namibia but for the rest of the Cosafa region. We are calling on your support when the time comes for the decisions on this matter. We want to count on your support, as this will indeed help the region to grow,” states Rakgare.
Namibia's Sports Minister Agnes Tjongarero also called on the regional football bloc to rally behind the BONA 2027 Afcon bid.
Chairperson of the Fifa Normalisation Committee for Namibia Bisey /Uirab promised the gathering that his team will ensure that they make things right for Namibian football.
"We are fortunate to be around at this very crucial stage. After a month in charge we now have to make sure we get the situation back to normal, learning from your advice and support to carry this Afcon hosting dream to reality,” /Uirab said.
Rakgare revealed that the two governments will announce their joint-bid team before the end of May 2022.
Cosafa will elect a new Executive Committee at its General Assembly on 14 May and Angola Football Federation president Mr Artur Almeida e Silva is the only candidate nominated for the role of Cosafa president, while the president of the Comoros Football Federation, Said Ali Said Athouman, is the only nomination for vice-president.
There are eight nominees for the five ordinary executive committee members, of which one woman must be elected.
They are Timothy Shongwe (Eswatini), Khiba Mohoanyane (Lesotho), Andrianony Victorien (Madagascar), Walter Nyamilandu-Manda (Malawi), Faizal Sidat (Mozambique), Solandranja Mahamatova (Madagascar), Anastasia Tsichlas (South Africa) and Brenda Kunda (Zambia).
Also attending the General Assembly will be various invited guests, including the president of the Confederation of African Football, Dr Patrice Motsepe, and the organisation's general secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba. - nfa.org.na
