IN SUMMARY
- Algeria withdraws from race
- Morocco confident of 2025 bid
- Kenya ,Uganda Tanzania mount joint Afcon Bid
With just hours to the eagerly awaited announcement today in Cairo, Egypt after the CAF Executive Committee meeting, there has been mixed reactions among football fans towards the ‘Unique’ East Africa Pamoja Bid.
Kenya has teamed up with neighbours Tanzania and Uganda in the plan dubbed the “Pamoja” bid to bring the coveted continental showpiece to the East Africa region for the first time in history.
Some fans however seem to have lost hope of Kenya getting the chance to jointly host the tournament while others remain optimistic.
Algeria withdraws from race
Algeria has withdrawn from the race to host the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) hours before the vote which will decide which countries are awarded the tournament in 2025 and 2027.
The vote by Afcon organisers the Confederation of African Football (Caf) will resolve a much-delayed decision over who will replace Guinea as 2025 hosts.
Morocco is expected to be named as Guinea’s replacement, with current title holders Senegal favorites to be awarded the 2027 edition.
Algeria had been in the running for both the 2025 and 2027 events, but newly-elected president of the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) Walid Sadi used an appearance on state TV on Tuesday to announce the country’s withdrawal from the bidding process, stating the move was motivated by a “new approach to the football development strategy in Algeria”.
The FAF has also said it now plans to “focus its efforts on the reorganisation and revitalisation of football in Algeria”.
Morocco appear to be assured of hosting the 2025 finals, setting the stage for a competitive race between the joint Nigeria-Benin bid and other contenders, including Senegal, Egypt, Botswana, and a tripartite arrangement involving Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania for the 2027 event.
The big announcement
Members of Caf’s executive committee will cast their votes on Wednesday (27Th Sep) having studied independent appraisals of each bidder.
Today’s vote vote will reveal whether or not Caf intends to attempt a policy of regional rotation or whether the trend of recent dominance by North and West African nations will continue when it comes to hosting.
