Moses Hashim Magogo, the president of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA), has urged Ugandans to see the success of the East Africa Pamoja AFCON 2027 bid with confidence as opposed to pessimism.
The East African joint bid, known as East Africa Pamoja, between Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania was proclaimed as the winner on Wednesday by the Confederation of African Football-CAF President Patrice Motsepe.
By defeating rivals Botswana, Senegal, Nigeria, and Benin, the three Eastern African countries won the hosting rights. Algeria later abandoned its candidacy as well.
While the leaders of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda’s football federations enthusiastically hailed the victory and pledged their unwavering support, many regular Ugandans responded in a different way.
A surge of sarcasm and unfavourable remarks spread throughout social media, with detractors casting doubt on their nations’ ability to host the football spectacle effectively.
They concentrated on the numerous issues that still affect the infrastructure and infrastructures of their countries.
In Uganda, memes and satirical content hilariously portrayed African players, coaches, and officials navigating flash floods that have grown typical in the capital while ingeniously illustrating the poor condition of the city’s roadways.
Both Nakivubo and Namboole stadiums have been trending on X, formerly Twitter, for the past three days, with a number of critics calling into question the suitability of the two stadiums.
Magogo adds that the government has told the Federation that it will create the essential conditions for AFCON in the country, saying that Ugandans should be exceedingly optimistic because they stand to gain nothing by supporting the recently authorized.
He continues by saying that rather than displaying negative energy, Ugandans should concentrate on the advantages of hosting the AFCON, such as creating jobs for all service providers during the event.
For a very long time, Ugandan sports fans have been concerned about the state of the country’s sporting infrastructure. The three nations are currently battling obstacles related to their internal infrastructure, such as a subpar stadium.
Due to a lack of CAF-qualified stadiums to host a continental match, the Ugandan FA was recently obliged to conduct two of its AFCON qualifiers games away from home.
Since the Mandela Stadium was blacklisted in 2020 for being subpar, there hasn’t been a CAF-approved stadium in Uganda, and inspectors from the organization have urged an upgrade. As of now, the nation has not been able to finish the 97 billion shilling renovation.
Tanzania is the only one of the three East African countries who made a unified candidacy; this raises questions about Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania’s bid to compete with Egypt, which has more than five CAF-approved stadiums.
Nonetheless, Magogo has often said that CAF makes its choices not just on a nation’s current infrastructure but also on its ability to meet the requirements of the tournament in advance of the event and the dedication of the relevant governments.
Recently, an inspection team from Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) conducted an inspection of the proposed facilities in the East African countries involved in the bid, on behalf of a delegation from the Confederation of African Football. The team then presented their findings.
The party visited a number of establishments in Uganda, including hotels, stadiums, and other buildings. Nelson Mandela Stadium, Namboole, Nakivubo Stadium, Kampala Serena Hotel, Denver Godwin Stadium in Garuga, St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende, and Entebbe International Airport were among the notable places.