Namibia has denied that it will form part of a co-hosting bid with South Africa and other regional countries for the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Namibian government said it had not approved nor authorised any bid following claims from South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie and the new Cosafa president Tariq Babitseng.
“The government of Namibia has not approved or authorised any bid for the 2028 Afcon tournament. No financial or operational commitments have been made towards hosting the tournament,” Namibia’s Executive Director responsible for Sports, Youth, and National Service, Gerard Vries, said.
He told the Nampa news agency that no budgetary allocation has been made as the state has not committed itself to any bidding process or hosting project related to the 2028 tournament
Last month, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister McKenzie said South Africa was working on a bid with Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and Mozambique.
“We are making a bid for the 2028 Afcon. We are doing it with Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and Mozambique,” said McKenzie.
At last month’s Cosafa congress, its newly elected president, Tariq Babitseng, confirmed that the region’s bid to host the tournament had been submitted and he expressed optimism about securing the hosting rights.
“We submitted our bid on time to host the tournament in southern Africa,” Babitseng told reporters in Harare.
Namibia previously withdrew from a joint bid with Botswana to host the 2027 tournament, which was awarded to Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Namibia withdrew from the process, citing concerns over the approval of the required budget and the financial obligations associated with hosting the tournament. They were expected to contribute 40 per cent of the costs.