Support and criticism for East African co-hosts of 2027 Afcon
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Senegal fans clashing with security as fans invade the pitch after Morocco were awarded a penalty in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Jan 18.
PHOTO: REUTERS
NAIROBI – The next Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament is set for mid-2027, but already there have been reassuring comments and criticism for co-hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Morocco were hugely successful hosts of the latest edition of the premier African sporting event, which ended on Jan 18 with their national team losing 1-0 to Senegal in the final
There was widespread praise for the way they staged the 24-nation event.
“This has been the most successful Afcon in the history of the competition – the quality of the football has been world class,” said Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe.
“So has the quality of the stadiums and the infrastructure.”
Doubters, including highly respected journalist Mamadou Gaye of the Ivory Coast, are unsure whether the three East African countries can match the benchmarks set by Morocco.
“Morocco has put the bar very high in terms of infrastructure, top-class stadiums, top-class highways taking you throughout the country,” Gaye told the Kenyan media.
“There is no highway linking Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. They must build this type of infrastructure.
“I have been there (Kenya), driving throughout the country. I have seen the quality of the roads. I have seen traffic jams that can make you miss a match.”
But Motsepe struck a confident note when asked by Gaye in Morocco about the readiness of the 2027 co-hosts to stage Afcon.
“I have a duty to develop football all over Africa. I cannot have football only in those countries with the best infrastructure,” said the CAF boss.
“I am confident that the Afcon in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will be enormously successful.
“We are not going to take the competition away from these countries.”
Kenya coach Benni McCarthy, who was born in South Africa, was equally optimistic, telling reporters that “Kenya is absolutely beautiful and well capable of hosting a major tournament”.
In 2025, the three East African countries staged the African Nations Championship, a competition reserved for footballers playing in their country of birth.
The tournament was initially scheduled for February 2025, but had to be postponed to August that year because of delays in preparations.
Challenges during the 2025 event included ticket distribution, crowd control and supporters breaching security checkpoints.
During this past Afcon in Morocco, Motsepe announced that the African Nations Championship would be discontinued after eight editions as it had created a “huge financial black hole”.
Ghana and Nigeria co-hosted the 2000 Afcon before Equatorial Guinea and Gabon did likewise in 2012, but the 2027 tournament will be the first to be shared among three countries.
The 2027 edition will also be the first in which all 54 CAF member nations take part in the qualification rounds, with long-time absentees Eritrea competing.
“I can confirm that we have registered to play in the qualifiers for the 2027 Afcon,” Eritrea’s national football federation president Paulos Andemariam told reporters in Morocco earlier in January.
Eritrea last competed in Afcon qualification for the 2008 edition, defeating Kenya twice only to finish second in their group behind Angola, and ultimately missed out on qualifying as they were not one of the three best runners-up.
They will meet Eswatini in March during the preliminary round of qualification for the 2027 tournament. AFP
