… ADMINISTRATORS ACCUSED OF VIOLATING SPORTS DIPLOMACY
By Michael Uugwanga
Fresh questions are mounting over regional sports diplomacy after Botswana publicly announced a joint bid with Namibia to host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), despite senior Namibian government officials allegedly having no knowledge of such a move.
Highly-placed sources with the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture told Confidente that Namibia was neither formally informed nor consulted before Botswana moved ahead with the announcement, which has since irked concerns in the diplomatic circles.
The controversy erupted after Botswana Football Association (BFA) president Tariq Babitseng announced at the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA)’s elective general assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe, that Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa had put in a joint bid to host the AFCON tournament in 2028.
According to senior government officials, such a decision would under normal circumstances require extensive bilateral consultations, cabinet-level approval and state-to-state cooperation. This, some argue, is due to the political, financial and infrastructural implications attached to hosting Africa’s biggest football tournament.
“There has been no formal communication to the Namibian government regarding such a bid. At this stage, Namibia has not officially agreed to any joint AFCON hosting arrangement with Botswana. These are not things football associations can simply announce without government involvement,” a senior government official said recently.
“The shows potentially embarrassing breakdown in sports diplomacy and intergovernmental coordination between the two neighbouring countries,” they added.
“Hosting AFCON is not merely a football matter. It is a sovereign undertaking. You need government guarantees, treasury commitments, immigration cooperation, transport integration, security protocols and diplomatic agreements. Such discussions must happen at state level long before public announcements are made.”
THE BID
Meanwhile, Babitseng made the announcement in the presence of Namibia Football Association (NFA) president Robert Shimooshili, who was also vying for a seat on the COSAFA executive committee and successfully secured a position following the voting process. Shimooshili was accompanied by NFA vice-president Murs Markus and interim general secretary Mabos Vries.
The announcement becomes even more glaring against the backdrop of Namibia’s own stadium crisis as the country currently has no CAF-approved stadium capable of hosting high-level international matches. However, the Namibian government has already committed millions towards the renovation of the Independence Stadium and other facilities in an effort to regain compliance with CAF requirements.
At present, the country remains unable to host senior international matches locally, forcing the Brave Warriors to play home fixtures outside Namibia.
HISTORICAL
This is not the first time, Botswana and Namibia get locked in a co-hosting bid, notably four years ago when the two nations were involved in the BONA 2027 AFCON bid, which failed to materialize. At that time, Namibia decided not to proceed with the bid at the last minute due to a lack of funding, despite pumping about N$4.7 million between 2022 and 2023 out of an allocated budget of N$31 million for that purpose. The news of Namibia pulling out of the bid also did not go down well with Botswana, as that government reportedly questioned the bidding process, which allegedly cost the country about P65 million (N$86 million). In 2006, Founding President, the late Sam Nujoma, who was also patron of the NFA at the time, led a delegation to CAF in Cairo, Egypt, to promote Namibia as host of AFCON 2010, which was unsuccessful.
ASK THEM
When contacted for comment and the official government position on the 2028 bid, sport minister, Sanet Steenkamp said: “Kindly reach out to the NFA.” Meanwhile, the NFA, through its marketing and communication manager Cassius Moetie, came out in defence of the move to co-host the AFCON tournament with neighbouring countries, a proposal initially floated by South Africa’s sport minister, Gayton McKenzie.
“The NFA supports the position and proposal initially expressed by (Gayton) McKenzie, on the sidelines of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] final held in Morocco. The proposal seeks to spearhead a historic regional collaboration to co-host the 2028 AFCON competition,” said Moetie.
“This visionary initiative is aimed at strengthening bilateral and regional relations amongst Southern African countries through football diplomacy and strategic cooperation. The proposed collaborative bid presently includes Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Mozambique,” he added. On the issue of government distancing itself from the co-hosting of the tournament, Moetie said the NFA has indeed informed government of Namibia’s readiness to co-host the tournament for the first time, despite public concern over past experiences surrounding the previous failed bid. “While the previous joint bid between Namibia and Botswana for AFCON 2027 was unsuccessful, the current regional initiative presents a significantly broader and more inclusive framework. Namibia remains committed to participating in the proposed AFCON 2028 bid because it is built on stronger regional collaboration involving multiple Southern African countries, unlike the previous arrangement which involved only two nations.”
OPINION
Sports expert Shaun Gariseb sees the co-hosting bid as a great opportunity for the country to market itself on the global stage.
He also said that such a co-hosting bid could reduce the financial burden on Namibia, unlike when it was a two-country joint bid with Botswana. “It will fast track infrastructural development and will also give us global exposure thus enhancing diplomatic relations which can ensure long term benefits for the nation. I think it is a good idea, that is the conversation that we must be part of,” Gariseb explained.
“Co-hosting reduces financial burden and logistical burdens.The previous joint bid collapsed in April of 2023 due to prohibitive financial constraints and not meeting time lines, we ought to have learned and not just to announce intentionally without proper consultation . It will also escalate efforts to work on both Independence Stadium and Sam Nujoma Stadium.”
