By Michael Uugwanga
The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, through the office of executive director Gerard Vries, says it has not authorised the Namibia Football Association (NFA) to participate in the recently announced joint bid to co-host the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The announcement was made last month by Botswana Football Association (BFA) president Tariq Babitseng, who said Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa had submitted a joint bid to host the tournament.
Babitseng, who was recently elected unopposed as president of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) during the elective general assembly held in Harare, Zimbabwe, on 17 May, said the regional bid would compete against other African countries seeking to host the continental showpiece.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is expected to announce the winning bid later this year.
The announcement came as a surprise to many Namibians, particularly given the country’s ongoing struggles with sports infrastructure and the lack of FIFA approved stadiums capable of hosting international matches.
Despite the ministry stating that it has not authorised the NFA to engage in any bidding process, the football association insists government has been informed of the intention to participate in the regional bid.
NFA spokesperson Cassius Moeti told Confidente that the association had already communicated its strategic intentions to government.
“NFA has informed the Government of the Republic of Namibia of its strategic intention to support and participate in a collaborative regional bid that seeks to promote socio economic development, regional integration and stronger cultural and geopolitical relations amongst Southern African countries, namely Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, eSwatini and Lesotho,” said Moeti.
He added that the NFA is currently consolidating its internal position and preparing the necessary documentation for formal submission to the ministry.
“The Namibia Football Association appreciates this unprecedented initiative, which has the potential to unlock significant sporting, economic, infrastructural and tourism opportunities for the region,” he said.
However, Vries played down the possibility of Namibia co-hosting the tournament, citing the lack of official communication from the NFA and the country’s current inability to host an event of such magnitude.
“The Namibian government has not authorised the Namibia Football Association to bid for any AFCON tournament. The Namibian government has not received any official communication from the Government of Botswana regarding the co-hosting of the AFCON tournament,” Vries said.
“We have no comment on the matter at this stage, as we are awaiting clarification from the NFA regarding the entire issue. Hosting a tournament of this magnitude is extremely costly, and Namibia is currently not in a position to host such an event.”
Namibia currently has only two stadiums that could potentially host international competitions if upgraded or renovated. These are the Independence Stadium, owned by the state, and the Sam Nujoma Stadium, owned by the City of Windhoek.
The Sam Nujoma Stadium in Katutura is currently undergoing renovations, while upgrades to the Independence Stadium in Olympia have not yet started due to funding constraints, despite government announcing plans for reconstruction several years ago.
Vries reiterated that government has not approved any AFCON related bid and stressed that Namibia presently lacks the infrastructure and financial capacity required to host a tournament of such scale.
