Namibia frustrating Botswana's AFCON bid
BG Correspondent FOOTBALL
Botswana is urging Namibia to meet to formally close out the first bid after the former’s withdrawal from the Botswana-Namibia (BONA) joint bid. However, Namibia has once again failed to commit to the meeting, citing a lack of budget. Botswana remains hopeful that the meeting will take place, despite Namibia's repeated failure to engage. Namibia recently shocked the regional football community after shockingly pulling out of the BONA joint bid leaving Botswana with question marks before the latter to a decision to pursue the ambitious bid on its own.
The meeting between the two country is essential for purposes of auditing and closing out the initial joint bid, and to move forward with future plans.
In a recent media briefing, Technical 2027 Bid Committee Chairperson, Ashford Mamelodi stressed the importance of a meeting to audit and close out the initial joint bid.
He explained that the purpose of the meeting is to examine what was done during the initial bid and to formally close it out. He also expressed Botswana's commitment to moving forward, despite Namibia's failure to engage in the process.
“We had planned to go to,Windhoek for the BONA conclusion meeting, but it was cancelled due to Namibia's lack of funds to host the meeting. Despite this setback, we remain committed to making every effort to hold this meeting, as it is crucial to the future of Botswana. We cannot move forward without formally closing out the initial joint bid.” Mamelodi said.
The time constraints for Botswana's solo bid committee mandate, which ends on September 30, 2023, have added pressure to the situation.
Botswana is eager to conclude the initial joint bid with Namibia, but Namibia's failure to host the meeting has created a sense of frustration and confusion, as the two countries have very different priorities and timelines.