The Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament has issued a warning that the country might lose its hosting rights for the AFCON 2027.
Uganda’s Parliament Speaker, Anitah Among, has issued a warning that the country could forfeit its hosting rights for the 2027 CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) if stadium construction is not expedited. Last year, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania were granted the hosting rights for the 2027 AFCON by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the governing body for football in Africa.
Junior Stars’ Louis Ngavi competes against Ugandan opponents in the Cecafa Under-18 Championships final in Kisumu.
“We won the bid with Kenya and Tanzania and our partners are constructing. The only country that is still behind is Uganda. And it is likely that if we don’t move faster, the bid will be taken away from Uganda,” said Among.
The remarks were made before the parliament approved a supplementary budget for the construction of one of the Afcon-planned stadiums in the district of Hoima, western Uganda. The Turkish firm Summa International was selected by the Ugandan government to undertake the construction. Among emphasized that hosting Afcon would be very beneficial to all Ugandans.
“I want to thank President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for loving sports and making sure that we have the money to finish that place Mandela National Stadium-Namboole,” she added.
Uganda’s State Minister of Sports, Peter Ogwang, has urged the country’s teams to demonstrate their skills by winning at the 2024 ISF Football World Cup in Dalian, China. Last week, four Ugandan teams traveled to China for the international school football tournament, which will take place from May 17 to 27 in Dalian, Liaoning province, a northeastern coastal city of China.
“Go to China and be very disciplined and also prove a point by winning the boys and girls trophies,” said Ogwang before the teams travelled.
The minister stated that he intends to travel to China to watch the games. Uganda will be represented by Bukedea Comprehensive School and St. Mary’s College, Kisubi in the boys’ category, while Amus College School will field a team in each category. Mark Kazaire, who will captain the St. Mary’s College Kisubi team, expressed his excitement about traveling to China to participate in the competition when speaking to Xinhua.
“I have heard a lot of good stories about China and I can’t wait to travel there and also guide my team to perform well,” added Kazaire.
Patrick Alfred Okanya, a Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) official, informed Xinhua that the four teams have prepared well.
“We know the competition in China will be very tough. But our teams have prepared well and should be able to return with trophies,” added Okanya.
The four Ugandan teams will compete against schools from China, the Czech Republic, Canada, Nigeria, Benin, Chinese Taipei, Kenya, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, England, Hungary, and New Zealand. In last year’s ISF World Cup at the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, China and France emerged as champions in the girls’ and boys’ categories, respectively.
By Janet Namalwa