FUFA President, Moses Hashim Magogo, has asked Ugandans to feel good about winning the bid to host the AFCON 2027. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Patrice Motsepe, announced this news recently. Uganda, along with Kenya and Tanzania, won the bid. They beat other countries like Botswana, Senegal, Nigeria, and Benin. Algeria, who was also competing, later withdrew.
While the leaders and football associations of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda celebrated the victory with joy and promised to work hard, some regular Ugandans had different reactions. On social media, many people made fun and said negative things. They doubted if their countries were ready to host the big football event. They talked about the problems with their countries’ facilities and buildings.
In Uganda, people used memes and jokes to show the bad condition of the city’s roads. They humorously showed African players, coaches, and referees trying to get through floods in the city.
For the past three days, Nakivubo and Namboole stadiums have been trending on social media with many people criticizing them and saying they are not ready.
But Magogo says that Ugandans should be very positive. He says when you support something new, you don’t lose anything. He also says the government promised to give FUFA everything they need to host AFCON.
Magogo thinks instead of being negative, Ugandans should think about the good things that come with hosting AFCON. It can create jobs for many people.
For a long time, sports facilities have been a problem in Uganda. This might explain why some people have doubts. Currently, all three countries have problems with their sports buildings. They don’t have enough good stadiums.
The Ugandan Football Association had to host two AFCON qualifier games away from home because they didn’t have a good enough stadium. Uganda hasn’t had a CAF-approved stadium since 2020 when the Mandela Stadium, Namboole, was called substandard. It was supposed to be fixed, but it hasn’t been yet.
Among the three East African countries that wanted to host AFCON, only Tanzania has a CAF-approved stadium. This makes some people doubt if Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania can compete with Egypt, which has more than five CAF-approved stadiums.
But Magogo says CAF doesn’t just look at existing stadiums. They also check if a country has plans to meet the tournament’s needs and if the government is ready to help.
Recently, a group from CAF, led by Price Water House Coopers (PwC), checked the facilities in East Africa. They looked at stadiums, hotels, and more. Some of the places they checked in Uganda were Mandela Stadium, Namboole, Nakivubo Stadium, Kampala Serena Hotel, St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende, Denver Godwin Stadium in Garuga, and Entebbe International Airport.