There is no doubt that Botswana certainly did her homework on Namibia’s capacity and capability to co-host the Africa Cup of Nations. The neighbours are in the process of initiating a joint bid to co-host the 2027 edition of Africa’s biggest football showpiece.
The possible benefits in the run-up to and the legacy of the tournament would be immeasurably positive in numerous spheres.
Although Botswana is more than an inch ahead in terms of boasting stable and functioning infrastructure, especially their football stadia, with a bit of political will and appropriate investment, Namibia too should be able to catch up.
As per the Confederation of African Football (Caf) standards, the minimum requirement for hosting the tournament is that the host country or countries should have six stadiums to cater for all 24 participating teams.
Caf has also additionally established that two of those stadiums should have a 40 000 capacity, two more boasting a 20 000 capacity each and the remaining two a seating capacity of 15 000 each.
Namibia currently only boasts two major stadiums, the Sam Nujoma and Independence, but the two venues are currently banned by Caf and Fifa as they do not meet the minimum standards for international football matches.
In terms of size and capacity, the Independence Stadium has a holding capacity of 25 000, while the Sam Nujoma stadium has a meagre carrying capacity of 10 300.
Other average stadiums can be found in towns such as Swakopmund, Oshakati and Gobabis. But those stadiums have carrying capacities of less than 8 000, and are also nowhere near meeting Caf or Fifa’s minimum standards.
As for Botswana, some of its top facilities at the moment are the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium, which has a capacity of 27 000, the National Stadium with a capacity of 25 000, and the Lobatse Sports Complex with a carrying capacity of 22 000.
Both the National Stadium and the Lobatse Sports Complex, however, were also banned after failing to meet Caf standards, and require some upgrades.
While both countries are faced with similar challenges in terms of downgraded stadiums and work that needs to be done to bring those facilities on par with their global counterparts, the good news is that the two countries have infrastructure that they can refurbish or renovate at a reasonable cost to host the 2027 games.
The Namibian government has in fact already put shoulder to the wheel with an allocation of N$50 million towards the renovation and upgrading of the Independence Stadium for the current financial period, with more allocations set to follow suit in coming fiscal periods.
The cost of hosting Afcon has gone up since teams were increased from 16 to 24, hence the decision by both countries to split the bill into a 40/60 ratio – with Botswana covering 60% of the costs and Namibia 40%.
Against the backdrop of inadequate infrastructure, there is no doubt that the biggest benefits from co-hosting the tournament will be the many upgraded and significantly enhanced infrastructure that will remain behind in both countries once the curtains come down on the 2027 tournament.
While many locals are failing to grasp the opportunities that rest in hosting the Afcon, the benefits are immense and include short-term economic boosts such as the surge in visitors, athletes and media who will spend and inject money into the local economies of the two countries.
Co-hosting the 2027 Afcon also means automatic qualification for Namibia and Botswana, and an opportunity for our players, coaches and administrators to learn first-hand and exchange notes with seasoned campaigners in various fields and Caf officials on the technical and tactical aspects of the game.
In addition to the expansion of stadiums and related infrastructure, other important social amenities such as roads, hotels, lodges, restaurants, public and private transport providers, street lighting systems and entertainment parks, amongst others, are also set to undergo automatic refurbishments due to the magnitude of the event and the possible economic spill-overs.
An inflow of so many visitors during the tournament would, however, require strong internet speed and bandwidth. When upgraded, which it should, it becomes yet another plus for Namibia, long after matches conclude.
Our national broadcaster too stands to score in terms of improved broadcasting infrastructure and possible broadcasting rights.
Covid-19 uncertainty aside, Namibia and Botswana will win greatly. However, the bid needs support; not only financially, but requires all Namibians to rally support to make it another great African football spectacle for Southern Africa.
Five years is enough to put all required infrastructure in place, and with Caf seemingly leaning towards giving hosting rights to first-time bidders, our chances are indeed great.
With Namibia also co-hosting the International Cricket Council (ICC) 50-over World Cup with Zimbabwe and South Africa in the same year, all these will generate us serious clout as a sporting nation.