Please, spare us the embarassment: Legends demand befitting 2027 Afcon

As the excitement dies down following a successful bid by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals,  Kenyan football legends have  demanded that the country prepares adequately to stage a  successful tournament.

Excited by the success of the “East Africa Pamoja Bid,” that will see Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania host the 36th edition of Africa’s premier national football team competition,  a section of Harambee Stars legends have demanded that Kenya prepares adequately to stage a befitting tournament alongside Uganda and Tanzania.

“East Africa Pamoja Bid” beat single bids by Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, and Botswana.

While celebrating the good news, former Kenya internationals Peter Dawo, Austine “Makamu” Oduor, Allan Thigo, Elijah Onsika and Josephat “Controller” Murila have urged the three governments to spare them the embarassment of haphazard preparations and instead pull out all the stops and make the ambitious dream by the three nations a reality as  Afcon comes to East Africa for the first time.

The last time East Africa hosted Afcon finals was in 1976 when Ethiopia hosted the biennial tournament.

Dawo, who is remembered for his aerial prowess and eye for goal in his heyday, said President William Ruto should take the lead in ensuring that Kenya meets the timelines set by Caf to host the 24-nation tournament, alongside Uganda and Tanzania.

“He (President Ruto) should not just give directives and wait for updates from the officers in charge. He must go down to the ground and see for himself how the work is progressing,” Dawo, who made several appearances for Harambee Stars, including at the 1988 and 1990 Afcon finals held in Morocco and Algeria respectively, said.

Kenya did not make it past the group stage in the two editions, where only eight teams competed. 

Dawo won the 1987 Africa Cup Winners Cup (Mandela Cup) with Gor Mahia. Although he would have loved Kenya to host the tournament alone, Dawo said the three countries should work together in ensuring that they all beat the deadline set in hosting the championship.

“The three countries should be like one now. They should keep tabs with what the other is doing in being ready to host the tournament. A joint committee should be formed to check progress of the work. In case one of the countries is stuck somewhere, it can receive the necessary support from the others,” the former Gor Mahia forward said.

“I would be happier if Kenya were to host the tournament alone because it would have led to the upgrade of many of our stadiums to international standards, which would have helped develop our football. It is something I believe Kenya is capable of doing alone.”

Kenya was awarded, and later on stripped of  hosting rights for the 1996 Afcon finals and 2018 African Nation Championship (Chan) for lack of adequate preparations in both cases.

Thigo and Onsika have warned that a similar predicament might befall the three countries if they task the wrong people with leading the preparations.

“How many times has Nyayo National Stadium been closed for renovation yet its state doesn’t improve to the required standards. It is all because of corruption, which must not be allowed this time around if we are serious about hosting Afcon. I’m happy the Kenya Defence Forces are in charge and I hope they will not let Kenyans down,” Thigo, who played for Harambee Stars between 1968 and 1979, including at the 1972 Afcon finals in Cameroon where Kenya did not make it past the group stage, said.

Onsika, a former striker, who donned the national team colours in the 1992 Afcon finals in Senegal where Kenya again failed to make it past the group stage, said: “There should be a transparent commission overseeing the preparations to host the tournament. He (President Ruto) should appoint those who understand football and have the sport at heart to lead the process.”

The former Shabana FC player hopes that the dream of Afcon coming to East Africa does not go up in smoke since it will improve to international standards the state of sporting facilities in the country, boost the infrastructure and the economy of the cities hosting games and also exposing the players, leading to some of them being contracted to foreign clubs.

Caf demands that the stadiums hosting its matches should also be near an airport, level four or five hospital and a four or five star hotel.

The 2021 Afcon hosts Cameroon is now home to at least six world-class stadiums. Three of them - the 60,000-seater Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, 50,000-seater Japoma Stadium in Douala and 20,000-seater Bafoussam Omnisport Stadium in Bafoussam - are new.

Africanews, a media outlet that covers sub-African and international news and business reported on July 31, 2019 that former Caf president Ahmad Ahmad said that Egypt generated revenue of US $83 million (equivalent to Sh12.12 billion at current exchange rate) from hosting the 2021 Afcon.

“As Kenyans, we should come together and support the government in seeing that hosting the 2027 Afcon becomes a reality. It will open our country in terms of business, selling our players and our infrastructure will be revamped,” said Onsika.

Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwamba said on September 20 that the government will put up a multi-million football and  rugby-only 50,000-seater Talanta Stadium at the Jamhuri Sports Complex in Nairobi.

He said that Moi International Sports Centre (MISC), Kasarani, Nyayo and Kipchoge Keino Stadium will also undergo major refurbishment, giving the historic arenas a complex new look.

Also expected to be upgraded to world-class standard are, MISC Kasarani Annex, Police Sacco Stadium, Kenya Utalii College Sport Club, 64 Stadium and University of Eldoret grounds which Kenya presented as the training venues in the East Africa “Pamoja Bid.”

Central defender Oduor who captained Kenya from 1988 to 1990 said that with the three governments having in their own volution bid to host the tournament, the onus is on them to ensure they are not stripped off the rights.

“It is an honour to host the Afcon because it is long since it last took place in this side of the world. We asked for it so we should put ourselves together, try to find the money to prepare to host it. We should make sure that we have stadiums that meet the required standards by Fifa because it is the stadium that will determine if we host it or not,” said Oduor.

Marula said: “2027 is not far, so the government must move with speed and establish the facilities. We should be ready by 2025.”

But Thigo and Makamu have faulted the government for settling on Eldoret as the other town to host the Afcon matches instead of football-mad towns like Kisumu, Mombasa, Nakuru and Kakamega.

“In Eldoret, the people who will show up at the stadium will be very few. The government should have capitalised on fans' funds by taking it to Mombasa, Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru or Kakamega," said Oduor.

“A majority of the people who will go to Eldoret to watch these matches if we indeed host the competition will come from the tows where people like football like Kisumu, Nakuru and Kakamega,” said Thigo.

Since countries hosting Afcon finals earn automatic qualification to the competition, Dawo and Oduor said assembling a formidable Harambee Stars squad for the tournament be assembled should start in earnest with focus being on youthful players.

“The best average age in a team is 26 or 27 years. If you can build a youth team of average age 21 years, in four years’ time, that team will be mature and ready to compete in the 2027 Afcon. They should be exposed a lot through a lot of friendly matches,” said Oduor.

Dawo said: “Four years is a longtime, Kenya can make a strong team for the tournament. We can start building a team now, most probably an Under20 team. They should play several friendlies.

Thigo said Kenya should focus on playing friendly matches against African teams since it will give them a true picture of their strengths and that of their opponents.

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