President Hage Geingob has assured Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe that the Government of Namibia is fully behind the envisaged 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) joint bid with Botswana.

He was speaking during a courtesy call meeting between the two at State House in Windhoek on Thursday, where he said the two nations will leave no stone unturned in their bid to win the hosting rights.

“Football is a game that can unite our people and gives our young people an opportunity to earn a decent living. We are going to bid and our teams are already in contact daily discussing the bid,” Geingob said.

Meanwhile, Motsepe also expressed confidence in the joint bid saying CAF has so far received 15 other interests for the 2027 tournament while also expressing his trust and belief in the leaders of the two countries to their commitment to the bid.

“President (Mokgweetsi) Masisi of Botswana told me that Namibia and Botswana will present the best bid and make my life difficult because of the number of expressions. My (and CAF’s) job is to make sure that I award the rights to countries that have not hosted the tournament,” Motsepe said.

Motsepe said he is confident that Namibia and Botswana will land the hosting rights of the 2027 tournament despite the huge interest from the other 15 African countries.

“I am here to express my enthusiasm and my encouragement to use football as a tool for the development of the game and economic and social upliftment. President, I encourage you and I encourage Botswana to make the bid. I am sure CAF will look at it appropriately,” he said.

Geingob and Motsepe also discussed several issues including infrastructure development and the state of football in Namibia.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency